Government Notes: You can ask questions, comment Wednesday on new westside public library in Cedar Rapids

Community members are invited to a Wednesday open house to provide input on the $25 million westside public library and Opportunity Center project.

The open house will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, at the Ladd Library, 3750 Williams Blvd. SW. Additional open houses will be held in the winter and spring.

In 2022, the Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation secured 27 acres of land at Wiley Boulevard SW and 20th Avenue SW after receiving a gift in 2020 to help establish a permanent westside library.

The existing Ladd Library opened in 2013 in a leased space and was established through a grant from the Hall-Perrine Foundation.

OPN Architects was hired in October as the architect for the new library, with the design process underway. Public input will be gathered through open houses, surveys and interviews.

The city of Cedar Rapids contributed $6 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds toward the project, plus $100,000 to go toward the design of a park coinciding with the building design. Linn County awarded the project $4 million of its ARPA funds.

Learn about seasonal Cedar Rapids jobs at tailgate event

The Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department will host a tailgating event Feb. 4 for people interested in seasonal jobs with the city.

The job fair will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ellis Golf Course Clubhouse, 1401 Zika Ave. NW.

People will be able to meet parks and rec staff and ask questions about spring and summer positions in golf, parks, recreation and swimming pools. The city has boosted the wages for more than 350 seasonal positions.

The event will include games, refreshments and drawings for free admission to Mini Pines and the outdoor pools.

Individuals may fill out applications during the fair, and hiring personnel will conduct in-person interviews.

The department seeks individuals of all ages who enjoy working with the public in a team atmosphere and spending the summer outdoors.

Hiring begins early to meet needed staffing levels and give new lifeguards enough time to obtain certifications.

To view open positions or apply online, visit CityofCR.org/Jobs.

New Cedar Rapids elementary to be named tonight

The name of a new elementary school being built on the Arthur Elementary School annex will be announced today at the Cedar Rapids school board meeting.

The new school will replace Arthur Elementary School, 2630 B Ave. NE, and Garfield Elementary School, 1201 Maplewood Dr. NE. It will open in the fall of 2024.

The name is being recommended by members of the school naming committee, which sought student, staff, parent and community input on the name.

In November, students at Arthur and Garfield discussed what a name means and read the book, “Alma and How She Got Her Name” by Juana Martinez-Neal, before submitting their ideas for the new school’s name.

One of the goals of naming the school was to have the name align with the architectural design, according to board documents.

Marion, MEDCO publish developer’s guide

Marion and the Marion Economic Development Corp. have published a developer’s guide to assist developers and businesses in navigating the city’s development process.

The guide is available online on the city’s website and features key contacts in the community as well as an overview of financial assistance programs.

“Economic development in Marion is a collaborative process,” City Manager Ryan Waller said. “Our goal will always be to make it easy for our customers to do business with us.”

The guide is a result of collaboration between Marion and MEDCO, according to a news release.

“Part of being the best place in Iowa to grow a business is creating the best environment to support them,” MEDCO President Nick Glew said. “This guide reinforces the dedication of the city of Marion and Marion Economic Development to reach higher as we accelerate continued community growth.”

Iowa City public works facility recognized by international magazine

Iowa City’s public works facility was named a 2022 top 10 U.S. architecture project by a London-based architecture and design magazine.

The recognition from Dezeen, an online magazine with more than 3 million monthly readers, is in addition to other national attention the building has received since it opened in 2019.

"We are excited to see our Public Works Facility receive such accolades throughout the country, and now internationally,” Ron Knoche, the city’s public works director said in a statement. “But we're not surprised.

“With the city's dedication to climate action efforts in every facet of this project, and the incredible work done in the design and construction phases, we knew that this building would be special.”

The 99,000-square-foot facility, designed by Neumann Monson Architects of Iowa City, is at 3810 Napoleon Lane, on the corner of Gilbert Street and McCollister Boulevard in south Iowa City. It includes three public works divisions, with shops, vehicle storage, offices and fire training facilities.

The energy-efficient building has extra insulation, with daylight optimized inside, and strategies throughout to minimize demand on mechanical systems.

The building, for example, conserves more than 600,000 gallons of water annually by reducing potable water usage by 65 percent and having a water reclamation system in vehicle wash bays and fire training facilities.

Cedar Rapids recognized for financial reporting

The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada awarded the city of Cedar Rapids’ Finance Department the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its annual comprehensive financial report for fiscal 2021 — the budget year spanning July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021.

According to a memo from City Manager Jeff Pomeranz to the Cedar Rapids City Council, an impartial panel reviewed the report and determined it met the program’s standards, including demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to communicate the city’s financial story and motivate potential users to read the report.

The certificate of achievement is the highest honor in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting.

“Its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management,” Pomeranz’s memo stated. “We are proud to see the hard work of our City Council, Finance Department staff and the entire city team recognized with this distinction.”

Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area government bodies. Marissa Payne, Gage Miskimen, Izabela Zaluska and Grace King of The Gazette contribute.