Column and Leftovers - Undisclosed Co-Location

Apparently, co-location is being held in an undisclosed location.

Sure, everybody's talking about it - dreaming of a ribbon sliced with oversized scissors in front of a new facility housing both Cedar Rapids and Linn County government. Maybe even the school district joins in.

But in the 16 months since the Cedar River swamped City Hall on May's Island, the county's Administrative Office Building and school district headquarters, talk is all we've heard. Will they ever get together?

Last winter, the county killed co-location. Then, after the state denied its application for $8.8 million to super-size the administrative building, they dragged co-location's carcass out and propped it up again. See, it's not dead, it's just sleeping. Sort of like “Weekend at Bernie's” with open house placards.

Most city poobahs don't want to return to the island. But they're even less willing to admit they'd like to build a new, pricey building. So they wield co-location as a shield to deflect pesky questions about what they actually plan to do, with an election looming.

City Council member Jerry McGrane said as much this week. “I don't think anybody wants to take a stand,” McGrane said. He sees no sign that co-location will happen.

Mayoral candidate Brian Fagan doesn't want to go back to May's Island and likes the idea of co-location, but details beyond that are fuzzy. His top rival, Ron Corbett, wants to move back to the island, but is sidestepping questions about the building's long-term shortcomings. He says co-location stalled because no one led the charge. Good point.

Following this issue is like trying to grab a cloud.

I don't think a new facility, either a city hall or co-located center, will happen. I think a voter-altered City Council and public sentiment will combine to make “new” old news. If local government changes addresses, or shacks up together, it will be in an existing building that's remodeled to fit government needs. Westdale, Econofoods, a downtown building to be named later? I can't say.

Some city functions will return to May's Island, making it a ceremonial hub of government.

And once talk of a new government edifice dies, the way will be cleared for a new, top-shelf public library. I think the public will support a library, but not if it also has to pay for a new city hall. And the library, which will benefit the entire community, young and old, wealthy and struggling, could be a symbol of the city's recovery, is clearly the better project.

After an election, more meetings and miles of open house placards, we'll find out if I'm right.

Contact the writer at (319) 398-8452 or todd.dorman@gazcomm.com

LEFTOVERS -- Stuff I couldn't fit in my 420-word print column.

County Didn't Leap or Look -- Truthfully, it's not surprising that Linn County didn't leap at the idea of co-location. For one thing, county residents outside Cedar Rapids may not be crazy about the idea of seeing their government swallowed into a Cedar Rapids city enterprise. They already feel issues important to them get lost in Cedar Rapids' shadow.

What's odd is that the county's process for determining its future home, a place that lots of people actually visit for many services, has been so much more sloppy than the long city process for city hall, where most citizens hardly ever go. The county really should have been more careful, and listened to citizens at the front end, not after months of stumbling.

Somewhere between the county's approach -- shoot first and ask the public questions later -- and the city's process -- gather public input endlessly and then delay some more -- there is a perfect strategy. Perhaps it's not too late to find it.

Society has changed -- There may have been a time when most people wanted local government buildings to be sweeping, noble expressions of civic ambition. I'm just afraid those days are gone.

Sure, Americans still admire architectural ambition, even excess -- office buildings, arenas, stadiums, museums etc. They just like it a whole lot better when they don't have to pay for it.

We'll still pay for schools, usually, and perhaps libraries, as investments and expressions of our hopes for the future.

Otherwise, we want four walls, a roof and a place to park. Short lines would be nice also. If it's in an historic building, great. If it's in a dying shopping mall, that's OK too. Just get me in and on my way.

That's why new government buildings, especially now with the economy tanking, are a tough sell. Perhaps that's unfortunate, but it's the reality facing our decision-makers.

Trashmore Center for Government-- Hey, maybe, we could build a new, methane-powered  government building atop Mount Trashmore. It would be green. It would be infill. It would be impressive, towering over the land. It would be easy to defend against barbarians.

It's also a joke.

Just trying to lighten things up. Tought to resist. Sorry.