New Bohemia streetscape construction pushed back

Reconstruction and new streetscape improvements for Third Street SE in the New Bohemia district have been delayed.

Construction had been scheduled to begin this fall, but is now planned for February at the earliest, said Gary Petersen, Cedar Rapids capital improvements project manager.

The city should receive project bids on December 1, he said.

Wider sidewalks, benches, planters and new lighting are among the improvements planned to stretch along Third Street SE between Eighth and 14th avenues.

Petersen said the first phase involves replacing an older water main that runs the full length of the street.

Third Street will be closed in segments and businesses will remain accessible throughout the project, he noted.

Petersen said starting was delayed in order to work through contract provisions and incentives to have the project completed on time. Construction should be completed in fall 2011, with grass seeding finished in spring 2012.

“It's a big project,” he said.

Businesses in New Bohemia, devastated in the 2008 flood, also have incentives to make improvements.

Half of the $3 million streetscape project will be funded by the city, with the other half through a property assessment system.

Under a proposed plan,  the property assessments would be dependent on the value of improvements, with lesser rates for greater improvements.

Jon Jelinek, owner of Parlor City Pub and Eatery, 1125 Third St. SE, said he favors the incentives.

Jelinek also owns the building next door to the restaurant, which houses Third Street Resale and True Salon, 1123 Third St. SE, and plans to open a small bed and breakfast in one of two houses he owns on the same block.

He said the bed and breakfast might be used for performers or visiting artists at Legion Arts' CSPS Hall, which is undergoing a $6 million renovation.

Producing Director Mel Andringa said the hall at 1103 Third St. SE is on schedule to open in June 2011.

Andringa said the streetscape construction should not affect CSPS performances because a new entrance will be oriented toward Second Street SE.

He is concerned, however, that three retail spots that will be available in the hall's first floor would have trouble opening during the construction.

“The streetscape won't affect us so much as it will the retail on Third Street,” Andringa said of the coffee shop and other potential businesses. “They might decide to wait to open.”