Government Notes: Johnson County to survey residents about jail, sheriff’s office

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors is working with the University of Iowa’s Center for Social Science and Innovation on a community survey about the county jail and sheriff’s office.

The survey will be mailed to more than 3,000 county residents and ask for public input on the current facility, public safety measures and thoughts on a new facility.

“Any successful proposal will require broad community support, and this survey is one way in which we want to ensure our work aligns with community values and expectations," Johnson County Board of Supervisors Chair Jon Green said in a news release.

The survey can be completed through the mail or online through a QR code. The county aims to collect a 10 percent response rate.

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors and the Iowa City Council are working to study the feasibility of constructing a joint law enforcement facility that would house a new county jail, the sheriff’s office and the city’s police department. All are operating in aging and cramped spaces.

Both Johnson County and Iowa City completed space needs assessments of their facilities in the past two years. The two architectural firms that completed the studies — OPN Architects and Shive-Hattery — are working together on the joint feasibility study.

The Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, which includes the Board of Supervisors, is proposing to put a bond issue before Johnson County voters in November 2026 that would fund the project — and be backed with property taxes — if approved.

The committee is hoping to have a final design for a facility by the end of this year. A cost estimate is not yet available.

I-380 overnight ramp closures planned this week

The Iowa Department of Transportation will be applying high friction surface treatment to several Interstate 380 ramps in Cedar Rapids ramps this week. Overnight closures of the ramps will be in effect from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the following dates on the following ramps:

Detours to be posted. During construction, all closures are subject to change at any time. The latest traveler information is available anytime at 511ia.org; call 511 (within Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (nationwide); or download the free app to your mobile device

To receive text alerts on road impacts, please visit www.cityofcr.com/subscribe.

NASA Moon Tree at Metro gets a name

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Metro High School held a “birthday party” Friday for a tree planted last spring that had flown around the moon as a seedling in 2022 on NASA’s Artemis I mission.

The tree — named Artie by the school’s staff and students in a naming ceremony Friday — was planted in May 2024 as a part of the school’s 50th anniversary.

The naming ceremony was an effort to reintroduce the tree to students new to Metro High over the 2024-25 school year, said Kali Muhlbauer, a science teacher at the school.

Over the last academic year, students have studied the tree as a part of science and math classes. One of the ways they’ve studied it is by taking measurements and creating a growth chart for the tree, comparing it to other sycamores in the area.

Muhlbauer said they’re studying to see if flying in outer space affected the way the tree is growing.

This tree — an American sycamore sapling that was part of a NASA mission to eventually return Americans to the moon — was planted in front of Metro High School along 12th Avenue SE, between Seventh and Eighth streets SE.

Metro High was one of 50 museums, universities, federal agencies and K-12 organizations in the United States at the time to receive a Moon Tree. An application for Metro High — an alternative school in the Cedar Rapids Community School District — to receive a Moon Tree was submitted fall 2023 Muhlbauer.

NASA chose institutions based on criteria that evaluated their suitability to care for the various tree species and their ability to maximize educational opportunities around the life and growth of the tree in their communities.

Linn County Supervisors voice support for Cedar Rapids school bond

The Linn County Board of Supervisors this month approved a resolution in support of the Cedar Rapids Community School District’s proposed bond referendum.

The resolution encourages voters in the district to consider signing the petition that calls for an election on the school bond proposal.

“As a proud graduate of the Cedar Rapids Community School District, I know firsthand how vital strong public schools are to the success of our community,” Linn County Supervisor Sami Scheetz said in a news release. “The proposed bond is an investment in the future of every student in Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, Palo, and Robins — and a commitment to providing safe, modern, and inspiring learning environments. Our kids deserve nothing less.”

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.

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.

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.

Marion establishes Uptown Parking Implementation Task Force

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The city of Marion has established a new Uptown Parking Implementation Task Force to better understand and address parking needs in the city’s bustling Uptown district.

The group will oversee and provide strategic guidance on the implementation of findings from the city’s most recent Uptown Parking Study with a focus on data-driven, community-centered solutions.

Marion City Council members last week appointed nine members to the task force comprised of city staff, business leaders and Marion residents. Those members include:

The group will meet monthly at 4 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at Marion City Hall beginning June 10 to discuss parking study findings and evaluate proposed solutions.

“We want to make sure that not only are the businesses feeling like they’re being heard with the parking, but it’s also making sure our residents and visitors are all being able to find open parking spaces in our uptown core,” Behrens said.

Relevant initiatives will be prioritized based on budget, feasibility and community needs identified through the community outreach and fact finding on the part of the task force.

Based on that analysis, the group will compile a set of prioritized strategies for the City Council review at a future meeting to improve parking in Uptown Marion. An exact timeline will be determined after the first meeting.

Thousands of pounds of food, toiletries collected during UI move-out

Throughout the week of May 13-17, during University of Iowa residence hall move-out, the City of Iowa City and Table to Table teamed up to collect food and toiletry product donations, as well as offer battery recycling services.

Donation bins placed at Currier, Burge, Daum, Catlett, Mayflower, Hillcrest, Petersen, Rienow, and Slater Halls collected the following:

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