15th Anniversary of the 2008 Floods

Colleagues say that Sandi Fowler, the deputy city manager who has worked for the city of Cedar Rapids for more than 30 years, is a true public servant who always kept citizens at the center of decision-making.

“You don’t often get the chance to reprogram 130 acres in the middle of your city,” council member Tyler Olson said of the effort to craft a greenway plan to transform the 130-acre space along the west side of the Cedar River.

The authors of “Our Towns,” the book that inspired an HBO documentary, told a local audience Wednesday that Cedar Rapids is leading in the way it has recovered from recent disasters, and in the steps it’s taking to address the climate crisis.

As rainfall has increased — a symptom of our warming atmosphere — the frequency of flooding has intensified. Now, river-adjacent communities like Cedar Rapids are turning away from flood mitigation to instead make room for the water.

To make the most of a disaster scenario and pave a path for a strong recovery, Iowa city leaders say they must uplift the businesses that keep the community’s economic wheels turning. Here’s how some have turned adversity into opportunity.

The City Manager’s 1-Bag Challenge has inspired residents to pick up more than 23,000 bags of litter in the last 10 years. To celebrate, the city is holding a litter pick-up event from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at McGrath Ampitheatre.

The nearly 18,000 piece collection has a home once again.

In a walking tour of Cedar Rapids flood infrastructure with Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, city officials said they plan to seek $50 million through the DOT’s Bridge Investment Program to fund the reconstruction of the Eighth Avenue bridge.

Two Maryland artists have worked on two murals in Cedar Rapids’ Time Check neighborhood, beautifying one of the areas in town that was hit hardest by the 2008 flood.

The city of Cedar Rapids could get a $50 million boost toward construction of its $750 million permanent flood control system if draft language of federal legislation is signed into law and Congress appropriates funding.

The $1 million Cultivate Hope Corner Store, operated by nonprofit Matthew 25 at 604 Ellis Blvd. NW, has opened with a focus on reduced-cost, healthy food in Time Check. Its mission is to educate residents on nutrition and promote food access.

For 14 years, University of Iowa’s collection has had no home. Soon that will change.

The RAISE grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, would fund much of the approximately $50 million project to replace the Eighth Avenue bridge with a cable-stayed one that could stay open over the Cedar River during extreme flooding.

Caleb Mason started working for Cedar Rapids shortly before the 2008 flood. Now, he plays a key role in the city’s growth, managing efforts to create jobs and support development.

The city plans to use $10.2 million of its approximately $28 million share of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds on two west side Flood Control System projects, bringing permanent protection to the part of town where Army Corps. of Engineers funding can’t be used.