Cedar Rapids council approves new flood control logo

CEDAR RAPIDS - The City Council this week approved a green-and-white logo that will appear on signs and correspondence as the city's $570-million flood control system comes to be.

In addition, the council agreed to repaint a city water tower near C Street SW and Highway 30 and, as with no other water tower in the city, 'CEDAR RAPIDS” will be added on the tower's east and west sides so the name is visible in both directions from Highway 30.

The new flood control logo will say 'Flood Control System” and will add a name to signs at various spots along the system, such as the Time Check Neighborhood,

Some logos will add 'Strengthening Our Community” and others, 'Building For Our Future.”

Emily Muhlbach, communications coordinator for the city's Development Services Department, said engineering consultant HR Green, which is designing the city's west-side flood control system, came up with the logo design and branding concept with the help of the city's communications staff.

'We anticipate using signage as the project moves forward and more physical changes start to take place along the river,” Muhlbach said. 'There are a lot of potential places we could start to see signage, and we'll be working to help identify those areas and using the branding to help communicate that long-term vision to the community.”

City Council member Ann Poe, chairwoman of the council's Flood Protection Committee, said she saw similar signage during her recent visit to see the flood control system in Louisville, Ky. She called the signs there 'very effective.”

Bruce Jacobs, the city's utilities engineering manager, on Wednesday said he understood that 'ages” ago water towers in the city had the city's name on them, a practice that was then set aside. Some on the City Council believe that adding the name will promote the city's identity, he said.

Megan Murphy, communications coordinator for the city's Utilities Department, said the C Street SW water tower will be painted a light blue and the city's name on the tower will be painted in black.

The C Street SW tower, which was built in 1995, holds 2 million gallons of water. The cost to clean, repair and repaint it is estimated at $800,000.

The city owns 10 painted steel storage facilities, according to a Utilities Department memo to the City Council.