Linn supervisors cool to mayor's $300,000 NewBo request

Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett's request for $300,000 in county support for the NewBo City Market project got a cool reception this morning from Linn County supervisors.

"I don't think it's a feasible thing for the county to get into," Supervisor Brent Oleson, R-Marion. "Unless there's a change in the hotel-motel tax or some other revenue structure that would go to economic development, we're just not set up for that."

Oleson, the county board's chairman this year, said he put Corbett's request on Monday morning's work session agenda after informal discussions with the mayor. He said Corbett would like the county to provide $100,000 a year for three years for the project, which has secured about $2 million of the $3 million it needs to begin construction of a year-round farmers' market on the former Quality Chef Foods site in the 1100 block of Third Street SE.

Supervisors support the aims of the project to rejuvenate the flood-damaged neighborhood and improve access to fresh locally-grown foods, but the contribution requested by Corbett would eat up most of their $150,000-a-year economic development fund. After brief discussion, supervisors agreed they'd like to hear a formal request from NewBo backers.

Supervisor Lu Barron, D-Cedar Rapids, said the board should "keep this request kind of open (but) we should just convey that it's too much" at $300,000.

The county has provided $16,000 for planning for the project.