Government Notes: Marion Christmas tradition returns

Marion’s annual Christmas in the Park celebration will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, in Uptown Marion, complete with horse-drawn carriage rides — a traditional part of the event that hasn’t been offered since before the pandemic.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit at 4 p.m., escorted by the Marion Fire Department and Marion Police Department. Visits with Santa will follow in a new, indoor location. Children may bring their letter to place in Santa’s mailbox.

Marion’s Community Peace Tree will be lit at 6 p.m., with popcorn and cocoa provided while supplies last. The Heart of Marion Community Choir, School of Rock students and Trinity Presbyterian Singers will perform during the evening. Adorable Princess Parties will make a special appearance.

Donations of new hats, mittens, blankets or socks can be dropped off the night of the event or delivered to the Marion Chamber of Commerce office, 1070 Seventh Ave., from Nov. 27 through Dec. 8.

Uptown Marion Main Street will host its holiday shopping Peppermint Walk event featuring Uptown businesses decked out for the holidays.

Drivers are reminded to use caution and yield to pedestrians and carriages. Seventh Avenue, between 10th and 12th streets, will be closed starting at 2 p.m. and will reopen to traffic at 9 p.m. after the event.

The Marion Chamber of Commerce and Uptown Marion Main Street present Christmas in the Park and the Peppermint Walk. This event is free with sponsors Marion Chamber Platinum Community Partners — Farmers State Bank, ImOn Communications, MercyCare Community Physicians, Summit Pointe Senior Living and Z102.9, with support from the city’s hotel/motel grant program.

Metro-area survey asks how you view life, work

“Working age” people who live and work in the Cedar Rapids metro area are being asked to complete a survey about the area’s employment opportunities and quality of life

The survey is part of the Collaborative Growth Initiative, a partnership between the cities of Cedar Rapids, Marion and Hiawatha, along with the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance.

The survey is available now until Dec. 5 at it closes Dec. 5 at https://tinyurl.com/mrjuuns6 and also in the news tabs of Cedar Rapids’ and Marion’s websites — cedar-rapids.org and cityofmarion.org.

Those of working age, generally between ages 18 and 65, may provide feedback. Responses will help planners understand the area’s workforce dynamics and identify opportunities for improvement.

The initiative, launched in August, aims to attract people from out of state to live and work in the region and create a road map to address current and future workforce needs.

Final open house for C.R. westside library park

The city of Cedar Rapids is holding a final open house for its westside library park from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday in Time Check Hall at the City Services Center, 500 15th Ave. SW.

The final draft will be shared at the open house, and public input will be incorporated into the draft plan. No formal presentation is scheduled, but city staff will be available to discuss the project.

More information about the park is available at CityofCR.com/WestsideLibraryPark.

The new library, to be built at 20th Avenue and Wiley Boulevard SW, will have an opportunity center, social services and a food pantry. It will replace the Ladd Library, a leased space that opened in 2013 and was established through a grant from the Hall-Perrine Foundation.

The $25 million library is being built on 27 acres that will include a park and other amenities. The city has allocated $6 million and Linn County $4 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to the project.

Marion curbside yard waste collection ends this week

This is the last week for Marion’s curbside yard waste collection in 2023. Residents should put remaining yard waste at the curb by 7 a.m. on their normal collection day.

The Yard Waste Drop-Off Facility, 195 35th St., is open six days a week. Hours of operation are weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. (until 5:45 p.m. on Tuesdays) and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., and closed for city holidays.

Cedar Rapids opens budget survey

The city of Cedar Rapids offers Cedar Rapids residents a chance to win free pies just for taking its annual budget survey for fiscal 2025 — the budget year starting July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025.

To take the survey, visit forms.gle/JUtNG8HUC2jDYj4u5. The survey will close at 5 p.m. Dec. 29.

One random winner will receive certificates for 12 pies from Kathy's Pies in Cedar Rapids. Only those living in Cedar Rapids who are age 18 and older are eligible to complete the survey and win pie for a year. One entry per verified resident will be entered into the drawing.

Linn County budget process open

The Linn County Board of Supervisors is in the process of meeting with department heads to draft the county’s fiscal 2025 budget. The public may attend any of the county’s budget meetings and provide comment. The full budget calendar is available at linncountyiowa.gov.

The supervisors will hold three budget review sessions at 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 24, 26 and 29.

The three-member board will finalize the budget at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 31.

Public hearings on the budget are slated for 9 a.m. March 27 and 10 a.m. April 17. Supervisors meet in the formal boardroom at the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center, 935 Second St. SW.

Iowa City wins ‘gold’ solar energy award

The city of Iowa City was recently recognized with a Gold Level designation from the national SolSmart program for encouraging the growth of clean, affordable solar energy at the local level.

Mayor Bruce Teague and members of City Council accepted a plaque recognizing this designation at last Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

To earn the designation, the city’s practices related to solar energy were evaluated in five areas: planning and zoning, permitting and inspection, government operations, community engagement, and market development. Iowa City was found to have met the required criteria in each area.

More than 500 U.S. cities, counties and regional organizations — 13 of them in Iowa — have achieved a SolSmart designation since the program launched in 2016.

“This designation is a testament to years of ongoing work that has been done in multiple Iowa City departments to support local residents, businesses and organizations that want to pursue solar arrays for their facilities,” Iowa City Climate Action Coordinator Sarah Gardner said in a statement.

The city has a goal of reducing carbon emissions 45 percent by 3020 and reach net zero emissions by 2050.

SolSmart is led by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and the International City/County Management Association, with funded from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office

Cedar Rapids awards Cargill well contracts

The Cedar Rapids City Council last week awarded $17.92 million in contracts to build a horizontal collector well near Cargill’s corn milling facility as part of the flood control system, coming in under the initially estimated cost of nearly $23 million.

The well will be located near the Sinclair stormwater basin area on the north side of the Cedar River. City staff anticipate the finished well will have a capacity of 3,400 gallons per minute in the winter and up to 4,500 gallons per minute in the summer.

The well will replace the cooling water supply for Cargill’s facility located at 1710 16th St. SE. It’s at the south end of the east side flood control system.

One of the city contracts, for caisson and laterals, will add a 20-foot diameter caisson about 75 feet deep with six 12-inch laterals, each 200 feet in length. A caisson is a round concrete structure similar to a silo, but built below ground. Construction is set to begin in April 2024 and is anticipated to wrap up in January 2025. That $4.02 million contract was awarded to Orleans, Ind.-based Reynolds Construction.

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The other contract is to build a wellhouse, with pumps, pipes and instrumentation. Construction will begin around February 2025 — once the first project is complete — and is slated to be completed by March 2026. That $13.89 million contract was awarded to Amana-based WRH Inc.

Cedar Rapids Finance Department earns award, again

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada awarded the city of Cedar Rapids the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for fiscal 2022, the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022.

This is the 42nd consecutive year the city has received this award.

To earn the recognition, a government’s financial report must be easy to read and well-organized. It also must meet accounting principles and applicable legal requirements accepted in the U.S.

Iowa City school innovation, efficiency cited

The Iowa City Community School District has won the Public Innovation and Efficiency award for the best performing school district of its size in the state.

The award, created in 2019 by the Iowa Auditor’s Office, recognizes cities, counties and school districts finding innovative ways to save tax dollars.

“If someone has a great idea on how to save tax dollars, we want them to spread the word,” state Auditor Rob Sand said last year. “PIE provides local leaders with an easy, streamlined sharing process.”

The Iowa City district was cited for its conversion of buildings to geothermal and other HVAC updates; reducing emissions by 45 percent between 2018 and 2021; having a recycling program at all its schools; and adjusting computer and lighting settings to conserve energy.

The district’s transparency also was cited for putting school board meeting agendas, minutes and budget information online, posting school board contact information, and creating a way for citizens to report problems anonymously.

Also cited were the district’s collaborations with other community organizations and its fiscal efficiency, including having administrative costs substantially below the state average and robust cybersecurity measures in place.

Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. Gazette reporters Marissa Payne and Grace King contribute.