Cedar Rapids Library gets environmental award as city pushes others to go green

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Cedar Rapids Public Library was recognized for rebuilding with the highest environmental standards just as city officials consider restructuring storm water fees to push major businesses to become more green.

A non-profit called 1,000 Friends of Iowa, which is focused on responsible land use, awarded the library first place in a category called new commercial/civic as part of the 2015 best development awards, which were presented last week.

'OPN Architects' design of the new library includes a 24,000-square-foot green roof that helped the library achieve LEED Platinum designation,” according to the award.

'The green roof features rainwater harvesting for irrigation and functionally that aids in storm water management capturing up to 90 percent of normal annual rainfall and 100 percent of all rainfall up to 1 inch.”

The public library was destroyed by the 2008 flood and then rebuilt. The $45 million library replacement project was completed and the library reopened in 2013 adjacent to Greene Square Park. Sustainability was a core component of the project that is 11 percent bigger than the previous yet was touted as using one third of the energy as its antecedent.

The awards are intended to recognize projects that connect development and quality of life, according to the group, which promotes smart growth principles as a way to achieve socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable communities. Other cities recognized include, Cedar Falls, Ames, Winterset, Sioux City, Manning, Glidden, Council Bluffs, Elkader, Davenport, and Monona.

Cedar Rapids has been moving to incorporate more environmentally sustainable habits and infrastructure throughout the city, and the library could serve as an example.

In light of the 2008 flood and recurring flashing flooding episodes, the city has been trying to better manage storm water runoff, such that less inundates the sewer system during heavy rains. The city also needs to find a way to pay for needed upgrades.

City officials have been developing a new storm water fee model to more equitably charge properties based on how much rainwater flows into the sewers and also incentivizes upgrades to reduce runoff.

A plan is set to go to the city's infrastructure committee in March, and then to City Council for consideration.

A current draft of the proposal calls for a five-year phase in of a new fee structure based on how much impervious surface - ground cover such as pavement that stops or slows rainwater absorbing back into the soil - exists on a lot.

Large employers and retailers are expected to feel the brunt of fee changes, while the city properties would be exempt, according to the draft. Customers could earn credits to reduce the impervious area considered in the fee calculation, including up to a 75 percent reduction for zero discharge lots, according to the draft.