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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Government Notes: Cedar Rapids Public Library launching westside library fundraising campaign
Also, Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance touts record year for new membership
The Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation is launching the “Inspiring Big Dreams” capital campaign that will fund the new westside library.
The campaign aims to raise $10 million to build the new library at the corner of Edgewood Boulevard and 20th Avenue SW. It will be within walking distance of the current Ladd Library, 3750 Williams Blvd. SW, a space the library has leased since 2013.
The city of Cedar Rapids will add a new city park outside the new library, featuring amenities such as outdoor “reading rooms,” multiuse courts and community gardens.
The new library will serve as a “bustling community hub, offering a larger selection of materials, more spaces to gather and connect, dedicated children’s program space and more,” according to a news release.
It’s estimated the new library will cost less than $25 million.
The Cedar Rapids City Council allocated $6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds toward its construction, and the Linn County Board of Supervisors awarded $4 million in ARPA funds to the project.
An estate gift of $2 million to the Library Foundation in 2020 went toward buying land for the new library. Additional private and corporate gifts and grants have come in to fuel the Inspiring Big Dreams fundraising campaign, which will be unveiled Thursday.
“This project wouldn’t be possible without the generous support we’ve already received. Now we need our community to join us to make our big dream for the west side a reality,” Foundation Executive Director Charity Tyler said in a statement.
Library and park designs are underway.
The library plans to break ground this fall and open in late 2026. It will be a nearly 40,000 square-foot facility, much larger than the current 28,405 square-foot Ladd Library.
Plans call for it to have:
- More space for children’s learning, with zones for creative play, technology use and motor skill development.
- Ten study rooms, a large conference room and a conference center available for public use.
- Outdoor reading courtyards and a library lawn for gathering and programs.
- Additional space for the Opportunity Center and library partners to provide services.
- Increased accessibility for ease of use, as well as connections to walking trails and sidewalks for pedestrian traffic.
More than 100,000 people visit the Ladd Library each year. The library estimates it will see 300,000 visitors annually at the larger new facility.
“We’ve seen again and again how the library enriches the community. From putting books in the hands of children to helping job seekers at the Opportunity Center, the Library is proud to serve our patrons,” Library Director Dara Schmidt said in a statement. “We now have the chance to give even more through a permanent location and enhanced services. We’re asking the community to invest in that vision with us.”
More information about the project and how to support the Inspiring Big Dreams campaign is available at CRLibrary.org/bigdreams.
Record year for Economic Alliance memberships
The Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance set a record for new members in 2023, adding 163 businesses, a nearly 15 percent increase.
At the organization’s annual meeting last week in downtown Cedar Rapids, Executive Director Doug Neumann said the increase was more than in any other year in the alliance’s 13-year history.
If records were available dating back to the Chamber of Commerce's founding in 1918, before it and other organizations merged to form the alliance, Neumann said he suspects 2023 may well have been one of the strongest years ever.
“Many of these new members are coming from referrals and from the good word you are spreading about the value of the Economic Alliance,” Neumann told those at the annual meeting.
“There seems to be a collaborative recognition of the power and importance of a unified business community, and the strength and influence the private sector can have when we work together and have people waking up every day thinking about how to grow the economy.”
The growth in membership comes after the Cedar Rapids City Council last summer reduced the city’s alliance membership from $75,000 to $25,000 a year.
Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell has said she wanted to better target city funds toward other economic development initiatives, such as the Downtown Vision Plan. The alliance and city are among the partners working to implement that plan, a five-year guide to reactivate Cedar Rapids’ urban core after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Iowa City planning Black History Ball
Iowa City’s first Black History Ball is planned for Feb. 3 at the Iowa City Senior Center’s assembly room.
The center’s Original Mature Groovers (formerly known as Elders of Color) is teaming with the Sankofa Outreach Connection nonprofit to present the ball, scheduled for 7 to 10 p.m.
The evening will include live jazz by the Curtis Taylor Quartet, a keynote address by University of Iowa assistant professor Ashley Howard, and food representing African cuisine and traditional African American dishes.
The event is intended to celebrate the history and culture of Iowa’s African American community, while promoting unity and fostering connections.
Tickets, $50 each, can be purchased at http://tinyurl.com/mryawvtp. Proceeds will benefit the Original Mature Groovers and Sankofa Outreach.
The Senior Center also is partnering with the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art to present an art exhibit, which opens Feb. 3, that was curated for the event.
Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. Gazette reporters Marissa Payne and Grace King contribute.
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