Build on successes of Fifteen in 5

The Fifteen in 5 Community Planning Process has reached its fifth anniversary.

And that milestone is prompting local citizens and leaders to take stock of the 15 big ideas distilled from a long, spirited community discussion on how to make Greater Cedar Rapids a better place to live and work.

“Some have made significant progress,” Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett told our editorial board, while conceding that some concepts have made “little progress.” He joked that “zero in 15” would have been a lot easier.

Instead of easy, Fifteen in 5 sought to be bold. And with such an ambitious set of recommendations, some failures were certain. Throw in a massive flood and an economic downturn, and the barriers to success became even higher.

The central focus on developing the riverfront, for example, shifted from recreation to recovery and flood protection. With so many damaged public facilities in need of rebuilding and repair, the idea of building a state-of-the-art community recreation center, by necessity, slipped down the priority list.

Efforts to expand Linn County trails took a back seat to post-flood trail repairs. A desire for light rail service between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City was sidetracked by an unsuccessful push to get federal funding for a passenger rail link from Iowa City to Chicago.

But tough circumstances did not wash away all of our objectives. Success and progress proved persistent.

Idea No. 1, the drive to make the New Bohemia neighborhood along Third Street SE into an arts and entertainment district, is not a casualty of the flood. Plans for streetscaping and a year-round farmers market are moving forward. The neighborhood is receiving a state Main Street designation which could open the door to more development help.

Idea No. 11, upgrading and expanding the U.S. Cellular Center, is on track, thanks to a $35 million federal economic development grant and $15 million in state funds. Demolition at the Sinclair site opens the door to rejuvenating a deteriorating commercial property. Significant progress has been made improving early childhood education and mental health care.

With these successes in hand, it's time to set new objectives.

We'd like to see the focus expanded to consider what's needed regionally, with ideas from local communities. If a recreation center isn't built in Cedar Rapids, perhaps another nearby community can pick up the project.

There is no shortage of new ideas. And this milestone should also be a launchpad.