Veterans Memorial waits for engineer's study before beginning talks with city

The Veterans Memorial Commission is awaiting an engineer's study on its ballpark before opening talks with the Cedar Rapids Kernels and the city on its maintenance issues.

“From the Kernels' perspective this a landlord-tenant issue, and they're looking for the landlord to fix up the building,” Chairman Peter Welch said at Monday's commission meeting,

But, Welch noted, the commission does pay the ballclub about $78,000 for upkeep at the eight-year-old stadium.

The Kernels and the city have compiled a $1.6 million list of improvements over 10 years, but Welch questioned whether the commission should have a role in buying a new scoreboard, a $500,000 item.

“Is that really a maintenance issue? We've set that aside,” said Welch.

And $250,000 for parking lot repairs should be left to the city and school district, which hold joint title to that property, Welch said.

“Now, we're really starting to differentiate and talk about wants and needs,” Welch said.

One “need” will be a solution to drainage problems at the field and a major leak on the first-base side of the stadium that sends water from the roof onto the concourse and down into the area below used for indoor batting practice.

Commission members agreed to wait for Howard R. Green Co. of Cedar Rapids to finish a comprehensive study of the stadium's needs before opening talks. Welch said the study should be done by midsummer.

“I think the commission, the city, and the Kernels need to discuss this,” he said.

Welch said the discussion should also cover what happens when the stadium's bonds are paid off later this decade.

“I understand why the (Kernels') rent check currently goes directly to the city” to retire the park's debt, Welch said. “When that stadium is free and clear of rent, who gets the rent check? I've asked that question and I've got to opposing answers, diametrically different, from two people at the city.”

Another, older landmark should be back by Independence Day. John Watts of Glass Heritage, the Davenport firm restoring the Veterans Memorial Building's flood-damaged Grant Wood-designed stained glass window, said repairs are going as expected.

“We're actually pretty pleased with how it's going,” Watts said. “Everything we've run into, we expected.”

Watts displayed a restored panel from 24-by-28-foot window's alongside a small piece of glass that hadn't been cleaned yet.

“The difference is night and day,” Watts said, “Every panel that came out, and there's 58 panels, gets taken apart. We take them back to the shop and we put them in a water bath. Every piece is taken apart individually and cleaned.”

Commission members briefly discussed plans for a July 4 ceremony as part of Freedom Fest to rededicate the window.

The Grant Wood stained glass window at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum could be back by July 4.

John Watts, co-owner of Glass Heritage of Davenport, said repairs on the flood-damaged window are on schedule for a re-installation in late June.

“The difference is night and day” compared to the window's post-flood condition, Watts told members of the Veterans Memorial Commission at this afternoon's meeting., where he displayed a restored panel and a piece of glass that hasn't yet been cleaned.

“We're actually pretty pleased with how it's going,” Watts said. “Everything we've run into, we expected.”

The window, 24 feet wide by 28 feet high, probably was about due for a thorough restoration before the June 2008 flood, Watts said. The window's 58 panels are taken apart, cleaned, and reassambled. Watts said the window has more than 8,000 individual pieces.

Commission members briefly discussed a July 4 rededication ceremony to celebrate the window's return during the city's Freedom Fest.

The window will be better than ever. Watts said his company will apply a plastic cushion to its frame, then silicone adhesive to hold it in place – an improvement over the original mortar.

“You don't get the expansion and contraction that caused this mess,” Watts said.