Here are the amenities Cedar Rapids’ new westside library park would offer

CEDAR RAPIDS — The vision for “a park in a library and a library in a park” is on its way to coming to life in southwest Cedar Rapids.

Planning is underway for an approximately six-acre park on the 27-acre site of Cedar Rapids’ new westside library, which still is in the design phase. Located at the corner of 20th Avenue and Wiley Boulevard SW, it will interplay with natural elements and other amenities — adding green space in a part of town that lacks it.

This facility will replace the Ladd Library, 3750 Williams Blvd. SW, a leased space that opened in 2013. The Opportunity Center inside the library was established in 2018 through a grant from the Hall-Perrine Foundation.

“Hopefully what we're doing is taking everything that we've learned over the last 10-plus years now of having a branch facility in a very nearby location and giving that community the library they deserve,” Cedar Rapids Public Library Director Dara Schmidt said. “I think that it will be so amazing that it will be a draw not just for the west side, but for the whole community and hopefully the region.”

Cedar Rapids city staff unveiled planned amenities for the library park Wednesday to members of the Cedar Rapids City Council’s Development Committee. The final park plan will be presented to the council in spring 2024.

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Amenities were planned based on community feedback from events such as Festival Latino and AsianFest, neighborhood association meetings and an online survey that received 254 responses.

Through this feedback, Planner Noah Zeker said city staff heard a desire for an accessible park space that can be easily used by residents of all ages and abilities, and is inclusive for multicultural and multigenerational interaction. Residents preferred a natural design including shade trees that promotes self-guided exploration, Zeker said. Some expressed concerns about vandalism, homelessness and the cost and maintenance of the park.

Park amenities

A bioretention area is designed to be a usable, inviting naturescape with trees and native plantings, Parks Superintendent Mitch Ahrendsen said.

Multiuse sport courts would offer basketball courts and enough space for futsal, a condensed version of soccer that Ahrendsen said is “exploding in popularity.” The courts could be flooded and turned into an ice rink in the winter.

A secluded rentable pavilion would be situated next to a centrally located bathroom, trailing to a fully accessible playground.

Instead of traditional splash pads with a circular block of concrete and some water features, Ahrendsen said the proposed splash pads are more rooted in the natural landscape, as if the user is playing in a stream in the woods or their backyard.

A civic forum area could hold larger events for anywhere up to 100 or potentially 1,000 people with space for performances and other events, serving as a nice backdrop to the library, Ahrendsen said.

Community garden plots would include full water access and beds that are accessible to those with disabilities, providing a way for people to grow their own nutritious and culturally relevant food in the area.

A “Discovery Garden” is envisioned as a space with native plantings where people can go to reflect or read. There could be some educational programming and signage. Plus, a network of trails is planned within the park to make an interconnecting loop tying the area into regional trail networks.

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Private outdoor “reading rooms” also would be incorporated, providing dedicated seating for outdoor reading. Council member Ann Poe, the committee chair, pointed to a New York City park as an example for offering small areas where people could nestle with a book while enjoying beautiful weather.

“The fact that this is near a library and people can grab their book and go sit outside and read — it sounds so simple,” Poe said. “ … I love that.”

Council member Ashley Vanorny suggested locating the garden plots closer to the 20th Avenue SW apartment complexes, an area that houses some immigrants and refugees who are likely to use the gardens as a food source.

“The fact that we're going to get a brand-new building and it's going to be so gorgeous and have so many amenities in addition to it is a big deal,” Vanorny said. “ … It's a really big deal for those neighborhoods, particularly because they specifically with (the 2020) derecho were hit some of the hardest.”

Library planning

While preparation is underway for the library fundraising campaign to go public, Schmidt said work has paused for a few months in the library design process. The public phase of the campaign will be announced in January. OPN Architects will resume design work next month.

“We’ve been doing work behind the scenes on the capital campaign and we are ready to refocus the work on the building project,” Schmidt said.

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The building is estimated to cost about $19 million, but project costs once factoring in permits and other fees total about $25 million, Schmidt said.

The Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation committed $2 million to the new facility. In 2022, the Linn County Board of Supervisors allocated $4 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and the Cedar Rapids City Council contributed $6 million in ARPA funds. The remaining gap would be filled through other state and federal resources, as well as the community investment campaign.

Schmidt said the plan is to go out for bid with the project in May 2024. The groundbreaking — marking the beginning of construction — is planned for August or September. The building will take about two years to complete.

The next phase of work throughout the winter and in the spring will determine amenities in the library, Schmidt said, so “it’s going to be a very busy early 2024 for the project.”

The library will hold another public open house this spring. After making sure the program aligns with the budget, the final open house will allow for public feedback on what the library ultimately looks like.

“The collaboration between the library and the city and the City Council and the library board for this amazing vision for the west side is such an incredible and amazing thing to be a part of,” Schmidt said. “ … I can’t wait to take my family to this library and park.”

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