Government Notes: Cedar Rapids wants residents’ input on downtown parking

The city of Cedar Rapids is seeking resident feedback about downtown parking as part of its in-progress strategic parking plan.

Per a city posting, the plan is an effort to create a comprehensive, sustainable strategy to support downtown economic development and enhance the parking and mobility experience for residents and visitors in the downtown core.

The city has hired consulting firm Kimley-Horn to analyze existing parking conditions and usage trends to inform the planning process, and the next step is to pair that data with user feedback.

Citizens can submit feedback online by filling out a brief survey at bit.ly/CRparking. Participants will be asked several questions about their downtown parking experience, as well as their most frequently visited downtown destinations.

Survey responses are due by June 11, and the responses will be used to help inform the recommendations expected to be presented to City Council members later this year on how to best improve the downtown parking experience.

Hawkeye Area Labor Council endorses Cedar Rapids school bond

The Hawkeye Area Labor Council ALF-CIO announced unanimous endorsement for the Cedar Rapids Community School District $117 million bond referendum headed to voters this November.

“The school district is in desperate need of facility improvements. The can has been kicked down the road for far too long. The bond referendum is overdue. Our kids deserve a better learning environment,” Rick Moyle, executive director of the labor council, said in a news release last week.

The $117 million bond referendum would fund renovations to modernize three school buildings and address crowding in the cafeteria and common areas and adopt space for new freshman programming at Kennedy High School. The three other buildings under the plan are Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy, McKinley STEAM Academy and Wilson Middle School.

The Hawkeye Area Labor Council ALF-CIO is a coalition of unions and the official organization of the national AFL-CIO in East Central & Northern Iowa representing 26 counties and 85 affiliated unions. The organization advocates for social and economic justice, seeking to promote legislation that will enable the government to be responsive to the needs of working people and their families.

To get the bond placed on the ballot, at least 25 percent of the number of registered voters in the school district voting in the last election of school officials must sign the petition, according to Iowa Code. That’s 5,496 signatures to place the referendum on the ballot this November.

A yes committee named BELIEVE in CR Schools is collecting signatures. Volunteers will be at the Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market with clipboards Saturday, June 7, from 7:30 a.m. to noon.

Cedar Rapids finalizes updates to street naming ordinance

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Cedar Rapids leaders have given the green light to update the rules around how city streets are named.

City Council members last week unanimously approved a series of updates to the city’s street naming ordinance and waived the requirement for an additional third reading. The ordinance now will apply to all streets named or renamed moving forward but will not apply to existing street titles.

The new rules enact a 14-character limit for street names including spaces and road type classes such as St, Rd or Ave. Quadrant identifies such as SW or NE would not count toward that limit.

The update also disallows street names from including abbreviations, acronyms, initials and/or special characters and prohibits the use of words that could easily be mixed up with those of a similar sound such as Links and Lynx.

City staff have said the updates should minimize confusion for commuters, as well as help emergency services such as police and fire more easily respond to calls across the city service area.

Marion Parks & Recreation to expand summer fitness programming

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The Marion Parks & Recreation Department is expanding its free outdoor fitness program this summer.

The city this summer is expanding on its Sunrise Yoga program, which begins at 7:30 a.m. each Saturday in June, July and August at Lowe Park’s Klopfenstein Amphitheater for the Performing Arts, 4500 N. 10th St.

That program, now in its 12th year, is meant to help area residents of different fitness levels connect with neighbors while staying active. The first class will take place this Saturday.

This year, the city also will host Zumba: Fit Fun at the Park on select Tuesdays through August at the amphitheater. The free dance fitness program from YENKO will take place at 6 p.m. on June 17, July 15 and Aug. 12

Downdogs in Uptown will take place at the recently completed Central Plaza in City Square Park, 1001 Seventh Ave., in partnership with Vella Yoga. The yoga classes will take place at 6 p.m. on June 11 and 25; July 9 and 23; and Aug. 6.

Yoga participants should bring a mat and water bottle. All ages are welcome, although attendees are required to complete a waiver to participate.

That form is available online on the city website, although additional copies will be available on-site. Any weather cancellations will be announced at facebook.com/BeWellMarion.

You can help shape the future of Cedar Rapids transportation

The Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization is seeking citizen feedback on updates to the region’s long-range transportation plan.

Long-range transportation plans are federally required documents that act as guides to future transportation investment. It is updated every five years to account for changing priorities and allow for implementation of new technologies.

The Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization’s current long-range draft plan runs through 2050 and covers the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area including Marion, Hiawatha, Fairfax and other Linn County municipalities.

A copy of the draft plan is available for public review on the MPO’s website at bit.ly/CMPOdraft.

Comments can be submitted through June 12 using an online form or through email to corridormpo@corridormpo.com. All comments will be shared with the group’s policy board ahead of the final vote on whether to approve the plan.

Iowa City updates Pedestrian Mall parking ordinance

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Iowa City will require a $25 permit for access to short term loading zones throughout the Pedestrian Mall, beginning June 9, after City Council voted to update a parking ordinance in early May.

The updated ordinance requires that the $25 permit be purchased at least one business day in advance of the requested access to the loading zone. With a permit, vehicles will be able to park in the designated loading zones for up to 20 minutes.

Any vehicles in the Pedestrian Mall without a proper permit will be subject to a $25 fine and may be towed.

Hills mural ribbon cutting ceremony June 3

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The City of Hills will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new mural on the side of the fire station, located at 90 N. First Street, on June 3 at 11 a.m.

The mural, designed and painted by University of Iowa graduate student Drew Etienne, is meant to celebrate city’s heritage and small town culture.

The mural is part of a collaboration between the City of Hills, East Central Iowa Council of Governments, Keep Iowa Beautiful / Hometown Pride and the University of Iowa Office of Community Engagement.

Johnson County will rededicate bridge near Sutliff

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors will hold a special off-site public meeting at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 6, to rededicate the Lorada E. Cilek Bridge.

The meeting will begin at the Johnson County Sutliff Operations Center, 5438 Sutliff Rd. NE in Solon. Following the meeting’s call to order, attendees will be transported to the bridge site where newly installed signage will be unveiled on the southwest side of the structure.

The event will honor the legacy of the late Supervisor Lorada Cilek, Johnson County’s first female county supervisor. Cilek was elected in 1972 and served multiple consecutive terms until her death in May of 1982.

Cilek led the charge to have the bridge built as a way for residents to cross the Cedar River after the original iron truss Sutliff Bridge was closed by the state in 1979. The board eventually voted 3-2 in favor of building a concrete bridge, which now bears her name.

The Lorada E. Cilek Bridge was dedicated in September 1984, two years after her death, however signage was never placed on the structure until now.

Members of the public should be advised limited space will be available at the rededication, and safety precautions will be enforced. In the event of rain, the ceremony will be held indoors at the Operations Center.

Inquiries may be directed to Dana Dominguez in the Board of Supervisors Office at 319-356-6000 or communications@johnsoncountyiowa.gov.

Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. The Gazette’s Grace King, Grace Nieland and Megan Woolard contributed.