In Cedar Rapids’ Westdale neighborhood, cleanup highlights work still to do after the derecho

CEDAR RAPIDS — Residents from around Westdale Court Apartments in Cedar Rapids’ southwest quadrant, armed with green trash bags, set out Saturday morning to clean up what they could of the trash and debris littering their neighborhood.

Construction workers provided the soundtrack to the residents’ recent neighborhood cleanup event, hammering away at damaged buildings where blue tarps concealed siding ripped off by the hurricane-force winds of the Aug. 10 derecho. Discarded drawers, plastic bags, a red shotgun shell were among the findings.

At nearby Delaney Memorial Park, it appeared the wind had crushed metal building material and tossed it into the green space like an empty soda can. Residents carried it away and then put tree debris into piles for easy removal.

Some of those who live in the Westdale area say the derecho exacerbated inequities and living conditions.

“How can it be in Cedar Rapids and the United States, people live there in this condition?” said Monica Vallejo, president of the Westdale Area Neighborhood Association.

Recent events weighed heavy on some residents — a fire that destroyed the building at 3919 20th Ave. SW, and the death of Marisa Doolin, 18, from a gunshot wound at 2110 Westdale Dr.

Vallejo said she wanted the property owners to come together with residents for the cleanup event. But she and an association-organized volunteer crew, which fluctuated in size throughout the morning, forged ahead to clean up what debris and trash they could in their area.

“There’s not much more for the neighborhood association to do here,” Vallejo said, urging the city — and particularly the property owners t — o provide additional help to residents. “If we come together, we can do it.”

Juan Ignacio Llanos, secretary of the neighborhood association, laid out residents’ vision for the area — a vegetable garden, more lighting to secure the alleys in the Westdale Court Apartments and bus shelters for those who rely on public transit.

And for Delaney Memorial Park, a crosswalk and sidewalk to improve access and make it safer to get to the space along Wilson Avenue SW, and lighting to deter criminal activity at the park.

Safety is key

The cleanup was the first part of residents’ approach to improving their neighborhood, Llanos said. Making residents feel safer is key to building a sense of community, with help from the city and apartment management, he added.

Making these changes come to fruition “is a lot of bureaucracy, but it is a political decision, after all,” Llanos said.

Oscar Jimenez, who also is involved with the neighborhood association, said more dialogue between tenants and property owners could help to clean up and permanently improve conditions in the area.

"I think that will resolve a lot of the issues,“ Jimenez said.

The Westdale area was one of the harder-hit areas in the derecho, with some units destroyed entirely and tenants displaced, some of them pitching tents outside of destroyed buildings.

Apartment management did not reply for comment in time for publication.

City help

City Community Development Director Jennifer Pratt said the city is working to understand the neighborhood’s needs.

City officials reached out to the owners of about 850 of the most damaged properties to understand the barriers to rebuilding after the derecho.

“The two largest barriers are delays caused by working through insurance claims and securing a contractor and materials,” she said.

In addition, Pratt said the city continues to respond to complaints by tenants about unsafe living environments and also has restarted the rental inspection program, which was halted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cedar Rapids has used disaster-assistance funding to provide housing to approximately 25 families displaced by the derecho and identified as needing assistance, Pratt said. About one-third of those are now back in rental units.

And she said the city secured funding for additional rental-assistance dollars for 30 families experiencing housing insecurity.

Other local service providers also are helping, Pratt said, such as the PATCH Program with nonprofit Matthew 25 and Urban Dreams’ new food pantry at the Ladd Library.

Through such efforts, Pratt said, “we continue to facilitate these efforts to address the changing needs of our most vulnerable residents.”

Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com