U.S. Cellular Center stays atop council's I-JOBS funding list

Upgrading the U.S. Cellular Center and adding a convention center to it stayed at the top of the City Council's priority list as it finalized its application for a piece of $118.5 million in I-JOBS funds.

At a noon meeting Monday, the council said it will seek $15 million from the I-JOBS pot for the arena's upgrade even as it is seeking $39 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce to add the convention center.

In order on its I-JOBS priority list, the council said it also will seek $5 million for a proposed $45-million library, $10 million for a new downtown parking ramp and $300,000 to demolish and remediate the empty former Quality Chef buildings on Third Street SE in the New Bohemia arts and entertainment district.

The total request for these four projects of $30.3 million is about at the $30-million limit the city can obtain from what is a statewide competition for I-JOBS funds. Any one applicant can get up to $50 million, but the city earlier received $20 million on a non-competitive basis for four projects, the library, Paramount Theatre, the city's Public Works building and the downtown steam network.

The city also will include in its application to the state I-JOBS board five other requests in this order: study and design for a community/recreational center called a Multigenerational Life Community Center, $4 million; improvements to a waste-water biogas system, $1.5 million; reconstruction of a flood-prone section of Sixth Street SW, $2.4 million; purchase of two flood-damaged downtown properties, $380,000; and a downtown facade improvement program, $750,000.

The only disagreement came from council member Justin Shields, who is an advocate for the community center and thinks it should be moved up the priority list. Council member Jerry McGrane agreed with Shields.

Linn County and five local non-profit groups also are submitting their own applications for I-JOBS funding.

The council decided to submit a cover letter with its proposal for city projects to say the council supported the county and non-profit requests as well.

Council member Chuck Wieneke said, in essence, the city, county and non-profits were competing against one another and other communities in the state for limited I-JOBS funds.

Earlier on Monday, the Linn County Board of Supervisors agreed to seek $8.8 million to upgrade the county's Administrative Office Building and $3.69 million to build a new juvenile law center.

On a 3-1 vote, the supervisors also agreed to add a third project, a joint communications network, which needs $7.6 million in I-JOBS funds to help build a fiber system that connects city, county and school buildings and facilities.

The communications network had been third on the city's priority list, but the county agreed to add the project to its list as a way to get another local project in front of the I-JOBS Board.

Supervisor Brent Oleson on Monday wasn't happy that the communications network was added to the county's list. He said he feared it would detract from the juvenile law center, which he said is his top priority on the county list.

“We're losing focus here,” Oleson said. “I think this juvenile court is such an important project, and I don't want anything to jeopardize it.”

The final I-JOBS applications were due by 11:59 p.m. Monday.

The Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, Legion Arts/CSPS, Junior Achievement, Indian Creek Nature Center and the African American Museum of Iowa are Cedar Rapids non-profit organizations also competing for I-JOBS funding.

The I-JOBS Board will begin to review requests later this month.