Cedar Rapids City Council awards contract for downtown library project

The downtown Cedar Rapids Public Library is set to get a “refresh” this fall thanks to an upcoming construction project.

Cedar Rapids City Council members last week approved a $284,900 contract with Valentine Construction to move forward with the “downtown library plaza refresh project.”

The refresh aims to enhance the library’s plaza area to meet community needs and aesthetic standards, per a bid posting seeking interested contractors.

Crews will replace deteriorated plaza pavers with a more durable material and an improved design that will increase accessibility into the building off Fourth Avenue SE. Project completion is set for Oct. 31.

Funding for the refresh project will come from the Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation using a fund designated specifically for maintenance and improvements at the downtown library.

Marion officials to discuss aquatics center project this week

Marion City Council members this week will discuss whether to move forward with a proposed aquatics center project.

Council members will discuss the matter Tuesday at their regular 4 p.m. work session. The discussion will revolve around the scope of the proposal and the community feedback from a survey conducted last month.

In the survey, residents were presented with two base options — one with a wave pool and one without — as well as with a series of "alternatives" or potential additions such as pickleball courts, playground area and/or park pavilion.

The first base project came with a $42 million price tag, jumping to $46 million with a wave pool. The alternatives had a combined cost of $4.8 million, although residents were able to provide individual feedback on each amenity.

  Buy Photo

Per preliminary findings reported last week to the Marion Park Board, a total of 3,240 people responded to the survey with a fairly even distribution across the city’s four wards.

Early analysis shows general support among residents for a new aquatics center, although some cost reductions would likely be needed to reach the 60 percent voter approval needed to pass the ballot referendum to finance the project.

Consultants and city staff will discuss those findings and respondents’ comments in more detail at Tuesday’s meeting, and council members will discuss potential cost-saving opportunities and next steps.

Fairfax names new city administrator

Fairfax officials have tapped Chris Philipp as the next city administrator.

The city announced Philipp’s selection last week on its social media channels. He was one of two finalists for the position, which was held most recently by Dustin Stambaugh.

Philipp served most recently as the Fairfax building administrator. In his new role as city administrator, he will be responsible for guiding the city’s strategic direction and overseeing day-to-day municipal operations.

His work will be done at the direction of the Fairfax City Council and will act as an in between for the council, department heads and other city staff. He will be paid an annual salary of $100,000.

C.R. school board renews Instructional Support Levy

The Cedar Rapids school board last week approved renewing the Instructional Support Levy that partially funds professional development for staff, curriculum, support for English Language Learners, HomeSchool Assistance Program support, and test materials.

The levy will provide $9 million to support professional development for staff and curriculum costs for the 2025-26 school year.

The existing five-year levy ends June 30, 2026. It is funded through property taxes and income surtax.

The school board approved renewing the levy for an additional five years.

Marion, Monarch Research to distribute free trees

The city of Marion is once again partnering with Monarch Research Project to distribute free trees to area residents.

  Buy Photo

The primary goal of the program is to provide residents with native trees to plant in the right of way along city streets that run adjacent to private property in hopes of bolstering the urban tree canopy.

Residents and landowners who commit to planting, watering and protect the trees as they become established can register for up to three, 3-gallon trees from Monarch Research.

Registration is now open, and residents have until Sept. 13 to express interest. For more information, visit the city’s urban forestry page at cityofmarion.org.

Linn County to host ‘Cancer in the Workplace’ roundtable

Linn County Public Health is set to host a roundtable discussion next month on cancer in the workplace.

The public event will take place from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, at the United Fire Group building at 118 Second Ave. SE in Cedar Rapids.

Iowa is the second in the nation when it comes to new cancer diagnoses, according to studies from the Iowa Cancer registry.

Per an event posting, the Linn County roundtable looks to recognize the burden cancer places on individuals, communities and employers with the goal of helping to “equip business owners with tools to confront cancer in the workplace.”

All Linn County employers and business owners are welcome to attend, particularly those who run small businesses. The event is free, but attendees are asked to preregister online at bit.ly/LinnCoCancer.

Applications open for Iowa City’s deer management plan

The City of Iowa City is inviting prospective bow hunters and property owners to participate in the 2025-26 deer bow hunting season.

The bow hunting season, which will take place from Sept. 20 to Jan. 10, 2026 is part of the city’s long term deer management plan. One part of the plan includes an urban bow hunting season each year through 2029.

  Buy Photo

The city also has some non lethal management efforts and is hoping to be granted permission to conduct a sharpshooting season by the Iowa DNR for 2026.

Bow hunting is not allowed on private property without approval from property owners. Any property owner interested in opening their land up for bow hunters should contact Hunt Coordinator Lt. Zach Diersen, at 319-356-5276 or diersen@iowa-city.org. Any prospective bow hunter is invited to apply on the city’s website www.icgov.org/deer or in person at the police department.

Johnson County Food policy council hosts film screening

The Johnson County Food Policy Council is inviting residents to Land & Heart: Local Food Shorts, a film screening event from 7 to 9 p.m. on Aug. 28 at FilmScene at The Chauncey, 404 E College St., Iowa City.

The event is a collaboration between FilmScene and the Johnson County Food Policy Council, which aims to provide information to the Board of Supervisors about agricultural and other food issues.

The event is free to attend though organizers are asking interested community members to reserve tickets at https://icfilmscene.org/film/land-heart-local-food-shorts/.

Sidewalks around Iowa City Senior Center to be temporarily closed

Beginning today, parts of the sidewalk around the Iowa City Senior Center will be closed to facilitate door and window replacement projects at the center.

Additionally, the Washington Street entrance may be closed at certain times through the project. Entrances near the alleyway on the northside of the building and through the skywalk from the Clock Tower Parking ramp will remain open.

The schedule of the closure is as follows:

Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. The Gazette’s Grace King, Grace Nieland and Megan Woolard contributed.