116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Tiffin breaks ground on new $10 million recreation center
Construction expected to be complete by end of next year
Sep. 16, 2025 5:20 pm
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TIFFIN — The city of Tiffin held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday for a project that’s been more than six years in the making: construction of a new $10 million recreation center.
The Johnson County city was Iowa’s fastest-growing city between 2010 and 2020, expanding its population from 1,947 to 4,512 residents, according to U.S. Census data. And as the city has grown, so have its needs.
When Tiffin hired its first recreation director, Frank Haege, in 2020, the city didn’t own a basketball. Four years later, 300 kids were playing basketball through the city’s youth sports program.
“When we think about what makes a city thrive, it's more than roads and buildings, more than wonky intersections and roundabouts, it's about creating spaces where people can come together, connect with their neighbors, stay healthy and feel proud of the place they call home. This new recreation center is exactly that,” Mayor Tim Kasparek said at Tuesday’s event.
Construction of the new rec center is expected to last up to 18 months, with the goal to complete the 45,000 square-foot facility by the end of 2026. It’s being built at 105 South Park Rd., in a park near soccer fields.
The rec center will include two full-size basketball courts (with the option for four smaller courts), a batting cage and turf area, cardio and weight equipment, and a free weights area.
The basketball courts could be used for volleyball or pickleball games, and the rec center also will include a walking track on the second floor overlooking the gym space and studio exercise rooms.
In addition, a locker room, community meeting space and some Foosball and pingpong tables will be added.
Tiffin’s rec center plans are just phase 1 of a potential three-phase project. The second phase would add a pool, and the third phase would include additional gyms and exercise rooms.
Project delayed during pandemic
Discussion about a new recreation center began around the time Haege was hired in 2020, but plans were shelved at the onset of the pandemic.
In 2023, voters approved a 1 percent local-option sales tax that would fund construction of a new rec center.
“It will be a place where new friendships are made, where memories are created, where Tiffin continues to build its identity as a community that cares for one another. This groundbreaking is the first step, and it's important today we celebrate not just the turning of soil, but the turning of a page in Tiffin's story, that keeps getting stronger and more abundant,” Kasparek said at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com
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