City of BridgewaterJackson TownshipCommunity Profile

Bridgewater, Iowa with Iowa Comparison Inset

Introduction

Bridgewater is a small city located within Jackson Township, in Adair County, Iowa. Adair County is located in Southwest Iowa, roughly an hour west of Iowa’s Capital City, Des Moines; and an hour east of Omaha, Nebraska, the largest city in the region. According to the 2010 census there were 182 people that live in Bridgewa-ter, which was a slight increase from 2000. The town has been experiencing downward trends in population and business over the last several decades and this plan suggests some strate-gies which may work to reverse this. These are meant to be taken as suggestions and ideas and not to be read as a blueprint for the future.

Data for this project was collected through a variety of means, including but not limited to the United States Census, County Business Pat-terns, Economic Census, and the Iowa Depart-ment of Transportation. Information was also gathered through conversations with Bridgewater city officials and residents, as well as through observation and participation in the Bridgewater City Council. It should also be noted that any-thing that is in quotes was taken from interviews and meetings with Bridgewater residents and city officials. These are opinion based and have been left anonymous to protect the speaker.

Bridgewater was founded in 1885. The city of Bridgewater is located near the Mormon Trail, the route that Brigham Young and his followers took from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City. Also near Bridgewater is the site where the Mormon settlers first encountered American Indians on their trav-els. Wagon ruts from the Mormon Trail are still visible in nearby Mormon Trail Lake Park. Beyond this, little history is readily available about Bridge-water. Most of the information about Bridgewa-ter’s history that we have gathered came from our interview with Bridgewater’s mayor. According to this interview, even though Bridgewater never exceeded a population of about 400 people, it did have a lively downtown area with several businesses in its heyday, before the construc-tion of Interstate 80 in Northern Adair County.

History

Demographic Profile

Population, Ancestry, and Land

As of 2010, Bridgewater had a population of 182 people. It has historically been a very small city; at the 1910 census it had a population of only 365 people. After 1910, Bridgewater had a ninety year period of decline, during which time the popula-tion dropped to 178 people in 2000. From 2000 to 2010, the city showed a 2.2 percent increase in its population, however, this increase was only by four people. The graph below shows the popula-tion change from 1910 to 2010. The population of Bridgewater is largely of German and Irish de-scent. Only seventeen percent of the population had children under age eighteen. Bridgewater’s total area is 0.29 square miles, all of which is land.

Housing and Economy

Bridgewater currently has eighty-seven hous-ing units; the average cost of rent in the city is $308, and the average salary is $30,536. The top three industries in which residents are em-ployed are construction, textile and mill produc-tion, and metal productions. The unemploy-ment rate for Bridgewater is 6.3 percent.

The Bridgewater Café is located in the center of the once-thriving downtown area. The downtown area of Bridgewater used to be the home of a general store, which closed due to financial rea-sons and retirement of the owner. Also located in Bridgewater are the Trinity Christian Church, the United Methodist Church, and Union State Bank. Bridgewater is currently home to a US Post Office, which is slated to be closed, meaning that residents may have to pick up mail from the Adair County Seat, Greenfield, or the Greenfield Post Office may have to begin home delivery to the homes in Bridgewater, a service that is currently not available. Notable businesses in Bridgewater, in addition to the café, include Marlo’s Repair Services, Northern Lights Motor Coach, and Nichol’s Farm. Located nearby is the Mormon Trail Lake and Park, which offers fishing, swim-ming, picnicking and camping; visitors can also still see ruts left behind by wagon wheels dur-ing the Westward Movement. Located between Bridgewater and Adair is the Adair Wildlife Area, a 320-acre wildlife habitat, managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which is open for deer, pheasant and turkey hunting seasonally.

“I guess that our biggest weakness is housing stock. We’ve taken down 3 or 4 houses lately and we need to take a couple more down. It’s just the upkeep is not what it should be. People either can’t or won’t maintain their house. If you want to bring in new people the housing has to be there.”

Schools

Bridgewater does not currently have an at-tended school within city limits. The school building located in Bridgewater is being used as a community center, office space, and for stor-age. Bridgewater is part of the Nodaway Valley School District with neighboring cities of Fon-tanelle and Greenfield. The elementary school and high school are located in Greenfield, and the middle school is located in Fontanelle.

Traffic

Bridgewater residents have an average commute of twenty-five minutes to work. The national av-erage commute time is twenty-six minutes. Com-pared with other towns in Adair County, Bridge-water residents have a slightly longer commute; Greenfield has an average commute of fifteen minutes, Adair has an average commute of eigh-teen minutes, and Orient has an average commute of twenty-one minutes. No other information is available regarding traffic data for Bridgewater.

“Well we’ve got quite a few that work in Green-field or other towns around; Creston, Atlantic and there’s some that go to Des Moines.”

“Customer traffic is not very high. People have mobility now and they go other places and then the small stores couldn’t compete with the prices these other stores have.”

SWOT Analysis

The following section outlines the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for Bridgewater. The SWOT analysis consists of ideas that were drawn from interviews, obser-vations from visits, and our general planning process. The points made were also drawn from comparisons to other small towns through-out south-central Iowa counties. These are as-pects of the current situation of Bridgewater.

Strengths

• Small community

• Quiet

• Low property taxes

• Newer infrastructure

• Ample available business space

• Outdoor recreation opportunities

• Located close to other communities

• Proximity to Iowa Highway 92

• Located mid-way between major ur-ban centers of Des Moines and Omaha

Through conversations with Bridgewater resi-dents, it can be determined that Bridgewater’s small sized community, quiet atmosphere, and low taxes can be used to its advantage. Its loca-tion, between Des Moines and Omaha, was also identified by residents as being a strong selling point for Bridgewater as well as other commu-nities in Adair County. Although Bridgewater’s

location can be seen as a drawback to the com-munity, it is located close to Iowa Highway 92, and it is not far from surrounding communities, which can also be used to its advantage. The availability of space, and the close proximity of Bridgewater to outdoor recreation were also identified as being positive aspects of the city that could be played off of for planning purposes.

Weaknesses

• Aging population

• Declining population

• Located off of major highways

• Deteriorating housing stock

• Abandoned businesses in downtown area

• No formal zoning

Conversations with Bridgewater residents also helped to identify these weaknesses for the com-munity. The major weaknesses for Bridgewater include a declining and aging population. Accord-ing to the 2010 census, the largest age cohorts for the city were all above age 55. This leaves the city with an incredibly small young popula-tion to carry the city into the future. Bridgewa-ter’s location slightly off of Iowa Highway 92 is also a major disadvantage of the town compared with other cities in Adair County and the re-gion; most other communities are located on a major state, federal or Interstate highway route. Abandoned buildings and a deteriorating hous-ing stock are other major problems for the city, as well as its lack of a formal zoning code.

SWOT Analysis

Opportunities

• Ample land for development

• Newer infrastructure

• Ample business space for purchase/rent

• Possibility for wind energy production

• Possibilities for additional recreational uses

There are many opportunities for Bridgewater, based on the strengths and weaknesses identified above. The major opportunities all take the form of possible future development; Bridgewater’s rural location makes it the perfect spot for new development, as there is plenty of open land to build on (see drive-in theater proposal below). Bridgewater’s abandoned facilities also mean there are opportunities for revitalization of exist-ing structures and the possibility for redevelop-ment of these structures. Bridgewater’s location in Central Iowa, with its relatively flat terrain and plenty of wind also makes it an ideal location for the building of wind turbines to produce electri-cal energy. The rural location of Bridgewater also makes it an ideal location for new recreational uses, such as a trail to connect it to Mormon Trail Lake Park and neighboring communities.

Threats

• Aging population

• Small young population

• Out-migration from Adair County

• Lack of initiative

• No local police force

• Water availability

• Post office closing

Threats to Bridgewater’s future are similar in na-ture to the weaknesses identified above. The ma-jor threats to the city include its aging population, and the fact that there is a very small young popu-lation; the fact that Bridgewater has a very small population to begin with, and that Adair County is experiencing an overall decline in its popula-tion are also threats; this means that it could be difficult for Bridgewater to find motivated lead-ers to carry it into the coming years. The fact that Bridgewater does not have its own police depart-ment is also another problem for the city; this can make it hard to enforce regulations regarding dilapidated housing stock, among others. The post office being slated to close is another threat looming over the horizon for Bridgewater resi-dents, and could present its own problems as well.

SWOT Analysis

“One thing about development, if people wanted to build here there’s space available. Our electricity, water, sewer systems are very well put together. And with the electronic communication, small towns could be an attractive alternative. Plus for cultural things we’re an hour from Des Moines and an hour from Omaha. Just about half way in be-tween.”

These goals are recommendations for the future of Bridgewater. The time horizon is roughly ten years and on for accomplishment. It is also important to note that some of these goals are hypotheticals and do not have to be accom-plished, they are merely recommendations.

• Encouraging the development of a gas station and convenience store would, we believe, have a huge impact on the economy of Bridge-water and the community as a whole. It would encourage people to turn off of Highway 92 and drive into the community. This could be ex-tremely useful, as Bridgewater is the closest com-munity to the Mormon Trail Lake County Park. Currently, if people utilizing the park need a gas station or store, they must travel further to either Fontanelle or Greenfield. This would also pro-vide a store for residents and travelers to be able to pick up small things without having to leave town. It would also be a way to develop unused or abandoned land. A gas station would also likely bring more business to the Bridgewater Café.

• A drive-in movie theater would be a great way to use undeveloped land in the Bridgewater area, as well as to promote outdoor recreation. Since the only other drive-in theater we know of is currently located in Newton, on the other side of Des Moines, we feel that this would attract people to come into Bridgewater and do business. This could bring business as well to the Bridge-water Café as well as the proposed gas station.

• Another key goal for the city is Bridgewa-ter officials’ goal to revitalize the housing stock in the city. They have already identified target residences that they believe are dilapidated, in need of repairs, and/or in need of debris re-moval. Bridgewater officials need to develop a set procedure for delivering notices regarding repairs to homes. Possible solutions include:

o Hand delivery by two officials

o Using the Adair County Sher- iff ’s Department to deliver notices

o Mailing them by USPS, and requesting that the recipient sign to receive the notice

Long Term Goals

“I guess that our biggest weakness is housing stock. We’ve taken down 3 or 4 houses lately and we need to take a couple more down. It’s just the upkeep is not what it should be. People either can’t or won’t maintain their house. If you want to bring in new people the housing has to be there.”

“We really need something that people need or want to make them come to you.”

The following goals are meant to be accom-plished on a much shorter time scale. If agreed on to pursue these goals could be accom-plished within, or under, five to ten years.

• Grassroots efforts are recommended to work towards keeping the local Post Office in Bridgewater. Right now, all mail is delivered to the Bridgewater Post Office where residents pick up their mail. Closing the Bridgewater Post Office would likely require that Bridgewa-ter residents’ mail have to go through a nearby post office. This could cause delays, confusion, and lack of organization for both residents and post masters. Also this would result in either adopting rural home delivery that would re-quire every Bridgewater resident install a mail-box, which few of the homes currently have, or the installation of large, cluster mailboxes.

o This could be started by speaking to other small towns that have undertaken similar grass-roots efforts to keep their post offices open.

o Residents could begin a petition to keep the post office open. This could be sent to senators, congressmen, the gov-ernor of Iowa, the postmaster general, and other key government officials

• Upon request of some city officials Bridgewater’s walking path is in need of repair. This will require repaving the walking surface. This could be done through collecting free will donations for the project and/or by applying for Iowa or federal grants which can be ap-plied to cover some of the costs of repair.

Short Term Goals

The following goals are taken from SF 2389 Relating to Smart Planning located in Sec. 18B. These planning principles were meant for state government, local governments, and other public entities and apply to planning, zoning, develop-ment, and resource management decisions.

• Planning, zoning, development, and resource management should be undertaken to provide efficient, transparent, and consis-tent outcomes. Everyone should share in the responsibility to promote the equitable distri-bution of development benefits and costs.

• Planning, zoning, development, and re-source management should be undertaken to promote clean and renewable energy use and increased energy efficiency. This will apply to the areas surrounding Bridgewater. Currently there are windmills located to the southwest of town and Bridgewater should continue ef-forts to attract more windmills to the area as well as encourage any other developments or use of renewable and clean energy sources.

• Along with the revitalization of housing, Bridgewater should facilitate the revitalization of established town centers and neighborhoods by promoting development that conserves land, protects historic resources, promotes pedes-trian accessibility, and integrates different uses of property. Remediation and reuse of existing sites, structure, and infrastructure is preferred over new construction in undeveloped areas.

• Planning, zoning, development, and re-source management should promote activities and development that are consistent with the character and architectural style of the commu-nity and should respond to local values regard-ing the physical character of the community.

• Bridgewater should emphasize protection, preservation, and restoration of the natural re-sources, agricultural land, and cultural and his-toric landscapes, and should increase the avail-ability of open spaces and recreational facilities.

• Bridgewater should also promote de-velopments, buildings, and infrastructure that utilize sustainable design and construction standards and conserve natural resources by reducing waste and pollution through efficient use of land, energy, water, air, and materials.

Smart Planning Policy

This report has identified many strengths, weak-nesses, opportunities for growth, and threats to the future development of the City of Bridge-water. Although Bridgewater is quite a small city, there remains much potential for the city in the future. Bridgewater’s location is one of its key strengths, and should be used in terms of the city’s development. The city’s ample space and location near recreational opportunities also give it great potential. City officials will need to proceed with caution, though, and be sure that they identify committed leaders who will remain involved long enough to see projects through to completion. If Bridgewater officials can iden-tify appropriate goals that have been suggested here, as well as goals of their own, this has the potential to carry Bridgewater into the future.

Conclusion

“You know, if something works for Fontanelle or Greenfield or Orient it could help us. We’re all in this together.”

“Population is less now than it was in pioneer times.”