Deferred maintenance taking toll downtown

I both personally and professionally detest professed 'improvements” made to downtown Cedar Rapids so much that I make every effort to avoid the destination. However, I reluctantly attended a recent 'Market After Dark.”

As an urban planner previously employed by the city who managed the late 1980s renovation of streetscape improvements along Second Street, I was appalled upon seeing the condition of fixtures developed three decades ago. A case in point being light poles with horribly faded and chipped paint and exposed rust.

The purpose of the Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District, likewise created at that time, was not solely to renovate the streetscape. Rather, it was also to maintain improvements over time. But, long deferred maintenance has deteriorated into a state of dilapidation.

Gary Hughes

Marion