Government Notes: Mount Trashmore sees record numbers in 2025 season

Mount Trashmore saw record a record number of visitors this year, with nearly 32,000 visiting the iconic Cedar Rapids trail.

The Cedar Rapids-Linn County Solid Waste Agency last week announced that roughly 31,700 people this year walked, ran or cycled to Linn County’s highest point at the reclaimed landfill at 2250 A. St. SW in Cedar Rapids.

This year also marked a record in the number of people completing the “Mount Trashmore Challenge” — reaching the top 140 times, or roughly the equivalent of scaling Mount Everest.

In 2025, 122 participants completed the challenge — up from around 100 in 2024. In total, this year’s challengers traversed a combined 33,542 miles.

Attendance figures were announced to mark the conclusion of the site’s 2025 season, and trails are now closed for the winter. It’s possible trails could temporarily reopen when weather allows and temperatures are unseasonably warm, otherwise the 2026 season will launch next spring.

For updates, visit solidwasteagency.org/mount-trashmore or the Cedar Rapids-Linn County Solid Waste Agency page on Facebook.

Nature Everywhere Survey Results are in

The City of Cedar Rapids has gathered feedback from almost 700 residents about how more green spaces can be added to the community.

The feedback was gathered across several city events and a digital survey as a part of the city’s designation as a Nature Everywhere Accelerator Community. The initiative was born out of the Children & Nature Network, a nonprofit that works to make nature more accessible for youth across the country.

Through the program, the City of Cedar Rapids will receive a $50,000 grant from the Children & Nature Network to support the work.

The city is receiving a year of strategic planning, technical support and startup funding to develop green school yards, a focus because of the role nature plays in children’s development.

Survey respondents said the Cedar Rapids Community School District should focus on natural play areas, outdoor classrooms and more trees and shade when greening schoolyards. Elements children want prioritized are swings, flowers and nature, bike paths and traditional playgrounds.

Respondents said important green space elements to prioritize are natural play areas, outdoor learning and shade from the sun. Climate-related concerns they would like to see prioritized are shade from the sun, excessive heat and air quality.

Linn County awards $50K in legacy and community attraction grants

Five area organizations are set to receive a combined $50,000 in grant funding from the Linn County Board of Supervisors.

The board last week approved allocations from the county’s legacy and community attraction fund, which supports organizations that promote Linn County history and/or attract more residents to the area.

This year’s $50,000 allocation will be divided among five entities selected from the 15 that applied for the annual funding. Allocations are based upon supervisors’ composite recommendations that were submitted after a review of all applications.

This year’s recipients include:

Johnson County Public Health maintains accreditation rating

Johnson County Public Health maintained its accreditation status through the nonprofit Public Health Accreditation Board that sets standards for governmental public health departments.

“We are so pleased to again be recognized by PHAB for achieving national standards that foster effectiveness and promote continuous quality improvement," Director Danielle Pettit-Majewski said in a news release. “We hope this announcement will reassure our community, partner organizations, funders, and elected officials that the services we provide are as responsive as possible to the needs of our community.”

Johnson County Public Health received its first accreditation through PHAB in March of 2019.

"We are pleased to see Johnson County Public Health, along with many others, successfully maintaining their five-year PHAB accreditation," PHAB President and CEO Joneigh Khaldun said in a news release. "This demonstrates that accreditation is not just a one-time achievement but an ongoing commitment to excellence. By maintaining accreditation, these health departments reaffirm their dedication to continuous improvement and community health."

Johnson County Food Policy Council to host public forum

The Johnson County Food Policy Council is hosting a public forum Saturday, Dec. 13 at Dream City, 611 Southgate Ave., Iowa City, from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

“Our Food, Our Future: Community Voices on the Food System,” is this year’s forum theme that looks to highlight the full scope of Johnson County’s food landscape.

The forum will include presentations from local nonprofits on food access and breakout discussions. The breakout discussions will help guide the council’s next strategic plan.

Breakfast and coffee will be served at the forum, which is free and open to the public.

Johnson County Assessor’s office to be temporarily closed Monday

The Johnson County Assessor’s office will be temporarily closed Monday, Dec. 1 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. for a staff training. Community members are directed to leave messages at 319-356-6078 if they need to reach the office during the closure.

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