Officials hope new irrigation system makes Greene Square Park 'really stellar'

Greene Square Park in the downtown is getting a new irrigation system this week, thanks to a donation from the Cedar Rapids Jaycees.

Vanessa Rogers, vice president of the Cedar Rapids Downtown District, said Thursday that the district and the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department realized earlier this year that the lawn in the downtown park was looking "really bad." And upon further inspection, added parks superintendent Daniel Gibbins, the existing irrigation system was "old and falling apart."

The new irrigation system, which is being put in place this week, also will extend to an area of the park where a park building had stood, Rogers and Gibbins said.

Fleming Irrigation Inc. of Cedar Rapids is installing the new system at a cost of $11,540, which is coming from funds donated to the Downtown District by the Cedar Rapids Jaycees.

The Jaycees uses the park in the summer for its Uptown Friday Nights events, and Jenn Draper, Jaycees' president, said Thursday that the donation is one example of the organization's dedication to "helping redevelop and build a sustainable, beautiful downtown area in Cedar Rapids."

The Downtown District's Rogers said the new irrigation system will make for thicker grass that can withstand all the activities in the park -- from people eating lunch there in the middle of the day to events like the farmers market and Uptown Friday Nights.

"Especially because of its location between the Museum of Art and the new library, I think there's going to be a lot of focus on making that park look really, really stellar," Rogers said. "It's a great outdoor programming space for both of those venues and for downtown."