116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Iowa City to host public hearing on City Park Pool replacement plans
Also, tickets available for Marion’s State of the City address next month
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Iowa City is taking the next step in the replacement of City Park Pool this week.
A public hearing will be held Tuesday, and with city council approval the project will soon be put out to bid.
The new pool is estimated to cost around $18 million and the city plans to have the newly completed pool open by the summer of 2026.
The council voted in 2023 to replace the 76-year-old pool, which was losing 5 million gallons of water each year through cracks and separated joints.
Option A, as it is referred to in city documents, features a free form activity pool attached to a lap pool with six 50-meter lap lanes. The lap lanes have a depth of three-and-a-half feet to five feet to allow for swimming, water walking, and fitness activities. Additionally, option A has a separate deeper pool with low and high diving boards.
The public hearing will be held during the Iowa City Council meeting Feb. 18 at City Hall. The meeting begins at 6 p.m.
Marion State of the City tickets available through Feb. 28
Marion will host a State of the City event Tuesday, March 11, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cedar Rapids Convention Complex.
Mayor Nick AbouAssaly’s address is titled “Building a Premier Community.” It will showcase the past decade of growth and opportunities in Marion.
Tickets to the event are available at www.cityofmarion.org/SOC through Feb. 28.
Public invited to learn about Third Avenue Bridge work in CR
The public is invited to attend an informational session about repairs that will take place this year on the Third Avenue Bridge over the Cedar River.
The meeting will be Tuesday, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance building, 501 First St. SE. Project designers and city representatives will be present at the meeting to answer questions.
Constructed in 1965, the Third Avenue Bridge is about 60 years old. Work is needed in order to preserve the structural integrity and maximize the service life of the bridge, as well as avoid more costly repairs or early replacement.
Proposed improvements include deck repairs to the concrete bike and parking lane areas, and repairs to piers, abutments, and under the deck. Concrete stairs and handrails connecting to May’s Island will be repaired as well.
The project will be largely funded by Paving for Progress, the city’s local-option sales tax initiative. It is expected to require two 12-week stages of work, occurring in 2025 and/or 2026. Timelines for each stage will be coordinated with ongoing flood control system construction.
The bridge will be closed in stages while the improvements are being made. Some on-bridge parking will be available during construction, but full access across the bridge may not.
During the public meeting, members of the public can add their email address to a contact list if they wish to receive updates during the construction phase of the project.
Johnson County Social Services partners with North Liberty pantry
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors is expected to approve $50,000 toward construction of North Liberty Community Pantry’s new building at its formal meeting this week.
The funding also will allow the Johnson County Social Services department to use the new building’s office space for a minimum of 20 hours a month for the next 10 years.
“We don't serve a ton of folks from North Liberty, but part of that could be barriers to getting to Iowa City for services. This new central location will provide a great opportunity for us to perhaps have a navigator out there occasionally, or the aging specialist, in addition to maybe having some office hours for general assistance,” Social Services Director Lynette Jacoby said at a Board of Supervisors meeting.
The pantry’s new $4 million 10,500-square-foot building, being constructed at 350 W. Penn St., is expected to be completed this summer. The $4 million price tag includes the purchase of land, construction of the building and new equipment.
The current 2,400-square-foot pantry, at 89 N. Jones Blvd., has run out of space and has been relying on community partners, such Fareway and Field Day Brewing, for freezer space, Ryan Bobst, the pantry’s executive director, told The Gazette last year.
The new facility will have 4,000 square feet set aside for food storage, with a 550-square-foot, walk-in refrigeration system. Around 1,000 square feet is reserved for the clothing closet, more than double its current size.
The pantry has received $278,000 from the city of North Liberty, with $250,000 of that from American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The other $28,000 came as a social services grant in the city’s 2025 fiscal year budget. Other fundraising efforts are ongoing.
Cedar Rapids school district residents encouraged to complete survey
The Cedar Rapids Community School District is soliciting feedback on a new bond referendum proposal by March 5.
The district announced last week that it has developed a new bond proposal based on input from a community-led task force. The task force, which includes parents, educators, elected officials, business leaders, and community members, last been meeting regularly since last year to review the district’s needs and develop a proposal.
The $211 million bond proposal includes the following projects:
- About $104 million for the new middle school, to be built on a 51-acre site near Iowa Highway 100 and Ushers Ferry Road NE that the district bought last month. It would replace Harding Middle School, which would be demolished.
- About $59 million to renovate and expand McKinley STEAM Academy to accommodate students from Franklin Middle School as well. Franklin would be used by Metro High School students.
- About $36 million to renovate and transform Wilson Middle School into an elementary school, which would serve students from Grant Elementary and Cedar River Academy. Wilson students would move to Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy.
- About $12 million for an addition at Kennedy High School for freshman students and an expanded cafeteria.
Following the survey feedback window, the district will finalize the bond language at the April school board meeting, with plans to bring the measure to voters in November.
Residents should have received the surveys by mail last week. They can be filled out on paper and returned in the mail, or they can be completed online by following instruction in the mailing.
For more information on the bond initiative, visit build.crschools.us.
Outdoor ice rinks open in Cedar Rapids
The outdoor ice rink at the downtown Cedar Rapids McGrath Amphitheatre is open for use.
The rink, which measures 31 feet by 48 feet, is located at 475 First St. SW. It is available for use from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is not scheduled or supervised.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer outdoor ice-skating opportunities to the residents and visitors of Cedar Rapids,” said Hashim Taylor, director of Parks and Recreation.
The rink will be available for use while weather conditions allow. Parks staff are responsible for maintaining the rink and will close it for upkeep as needed. Any changes to the ice rink’s availability will be shared on Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation social media, city webpages, and via the CR News Now text and email alerts.
The City’s Rollin’ Rec program will be on-site Sundays from 1-3 p.m. and Thursdays from 5-7 p.m. Rollin’ Rec provides ice skates and a limited number of push trainers for people to borrow on a first-come first-served basis.
Hughes Park Ice Rink, 2100 Wilson Ave. SW, also is open. Rollin’ Rec serves residents at Hughes Park on Tuesdays from 5-7 p.m. and Saturdays from 1-3 p.m.
Sledding hills at Bowman, Jones, and Shawnee Parks are open during park hours. Call 319-286-5700 for updated winter sports closings based on weather conditions. Visit CityofCR.com/WinterRec for more information.
Iowa City to conduct aerial deer population survey this week
This week, Feb. 18-21, White Buffalo Inc. will conduct an aerial deer population survey in the northern part of Iowa City.
The city typically partners with the DNR to conduct an aerial survey to determine deer levels in a certain area. Aerial surveys are meant to provide general data on deer population, but can be influenced by factors such as weather, food availability and overall deer movement.
The DNR was unable to complete an aerial survey in 2024 due to inclement weather conditions.
Because of that, the Natural Resource Commission — the state board that reviews management plans — used the most recent data, from February 2023, when 382 deer were observed when reviewing the city’s deer management plan.
The Iowa City Council adopted a new five year deer management plan in July 2024 that will continue the city’s urban bow hunt program, but delays the possibility of a sharpshooting season until 2026.
The city approved an initial plan in May 2024 that would have continued the urban bow hunt program and also had one guaranteed year of sharpshooting, with the possibility of a second. However, the plan was denied by the NRC, which asked the city to collect more data before it approved an additional sharpshooting season.
Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. The Gazette’s Megan Woolard and Sara Konrad Baranowski contributed.
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