Opposition to substation in New Bohemia taking form in petition

More than 300 people have signed a petition opposing the proposed location of a new Alliant Energy substation in the New Bohemia neighborhood, organizers said.

Nine members of Move the Electricity Sub Station (MESS) met for about an hour Monday inside the Cherry Building, 329 10th Ave. SW. Alliant has identified 1.2 acres of city-owned property next to the building and along the railroad tracks for a new substation.

David Chadima, group organizer and co-owner of the Cherry Building, said everyone who has invested in the neighborhood is opposed to the proposed location, as far as he knows. He hopes to prove it by handing City Council members the petition soon.

“It would just completely derail all the plans and all of the investments that have already been made and are in the pipeline,” Chadima said. “It would be a tragedy for the whole community, not just this immediate neighborhood.”

The site, where crews pile snow collected from city streets in the winter, was the formerly home to Iowa Iron. Alliant officials say the new substation is needed to improve electric reliability.

Chadima said the substation would be a “monster” and would emit a loud humming noise at all hours. Other sites, like the city-owned Sinclair property, would make more sense, he said.

Wherever it is built, Alliant officials have said a 20-foot wall would be built around the substation for aesthetic reasons.

During Monday's meeting, the group strategized  their approach and made plans to order T-shirts and collect more signatures.

Michael Richards, a New Bohemia business owner and president of the Oakhill-Jackson Neighborhood Association, said the location of the substation is a city-wide issue because New Bohemia is a city-wide asset.

“The fact is, this would be an economic development disaster,” Richards said.

The Cedar Rapids City Council will decide if the land is sold to Alliant for the new substation.