Cedar Rapids’ new Block ‘n Roll trailer aims to encourage neighborhood events

CEDAR RAPIDS — A new city of Cedar Rapids trailer will soon help residents rock their block.

The city this summer is piloting its new Block ‘n Roll trailer with neighborhood associations, an effort to bring residents together and activate neighborhoods by making it easier for the groups to hold events.

“This is a community block party trailer to connect people with others in their neighborhood,” Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said Thursday in her annual State of the City address. “From tables, chairs, tents and coolers — to dozens of games and activities — Block ‘n Roll contains all the equipment and supplies needed to host neighborhood gatherings.”

The city will unveil the trailer June 1 at Resident Appreciation Day, where the city will be a downtown farmers market vendor at Greene Square. That’s the day the city will first accept reservations for the trailer.

City planner Betsy Borchardt told the Cedar Rapids City Council’s Development Committee earlier this month the initiative stemmed from the Age Friendly Action Plan the council adopted in 2022. Through that planning process, residents surveyed indicated they wanted to see more community and neighborhood gatherings.

Community Development and Parks and Recreation departments partnered last year to bring this idea into fruition. Borchardt said staff researched similar projects locally and nationally, and Community Development allocated $20,000 to pay for the trailer and all of the contents within it.

For this year, the city will work with neighborhood associations to pilot and promote this program, Borchardt said.

“The first year is a pilot year to make improvements on the process before it is rolled out communitywide,” Recreation Superintendent Tony Ireland said in a statement. “It will be used this summer for neighborhood association events. For the first year a deposit will be required to use the trailer. The review of this summer’s use will determine any fees to be charged in the future.”

Ireland said interested neighborhood groups may fill out a request form that is complete but not yet live. Staff will vet that request, make sure there are no conflicts with anything going on in the park or the areas they’re using the trailer — checking for building reservations or other programs.

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When approved, staff will share with users the rules and expectations for using the trailer and expectations to be able to use the contents inside. Depending on the scope of what the neighborhood is looking to do with a gathering, Ireland said additional items such as a special event permit may be required. Staff will walk the user through the process of obtaining proper permission if needed.

The user would sign off on an agreement and guidelines to access the trailer. Parks staff would deliver the unit to the site on the day of the event. Users would check out keys to access it, and would then be able to unload what they need from the trailer.

When the event is over, the user would pack it up and bring the key back. Ireland said there will be a ton lock and wheel lock on the trailer as well as secure locks to make sure contents are secure within it. Staff would pick it up the next day and inventory the trailer before its next use.

Ireland used Redmond Park as an example of where the van could be helpful. The park doesn’t have a shelter pavilion, but it has a playground and splash pad.

“This could augment that space,” Ireland told the Development Committee.

The trailer contains shelter canopies, tables, chairs, coolers, ice chests and provides access to more than 20 games. That includes tailgate games, sports equipment and other family-friendly activities such as chalk. Auxiliary amenities include power cords, first aid kits, fire safety items trash receptacles and traffic cones to mark off spaces to load and unload the trailer.

The program going forward will take reservations from April through October.

“The process for shutting down the street obviously is a process in itself, both costly from a safety perspective and just to go through that process,” Ireland said. “We didn't want to prohibit any of the people that wanted to use this.”

Council member Ashley Vanorny said neighborhood associations are a strong asset to Cedar Rapids, and having a tool like this will help neighborhoods organize events.

“It's not something that a neighborhood might be able to just accumulate themselves,” Vanorny said. “To have that and have it be something that somebody can just operationalize … really opens new doors.”

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