116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Palo mayor: New community center is “pivotal” in flood recovery
Adam B Sullivan
May. 28, 2011 4:20 pm
Palo's new community center isn't set to open until September, but calls to reserve space for wedding receptions and other events have been coming in for more than a year already.
That shows just how big a role the community center plays in the small Linn County community, Mayor Paula Gunter said.
“This is the pivotal part of our recovery - getting back into our community center,” she said.
The old community center - a converted school - was wiped out by the Cedar River in 2008, along with numerous homes and businesses in the town. On Saturday, community leaders toured the new community center and cut the ribbon on a new splash pad in Palo.
The community center will house city hall, the city council chambers, a small library, a senior dining center, and a gymnasium. The splash pad has water attractions for kids with a nearby pavilion, playground, and baseball field. Both facilities are hallmarks in the town's recovery from the 2008 flood, locals said.
Gunter had only been on the city council for six months when the Cedar River surged over its banks in the summer of 2008. Gunter and other city officials worked long hours during the flood and in the three years since then to restore infrastructure in the community.
“We've worked so hard as a council and as a community to get back to being a town,” said Gunter, who has lived in Palo since she was 5. “Now you really can't tell we ever had a flood in Palo.”
The new splash pad was largely funded by nearby Duane Arnold Energy Center, which also lent the community help during the flood by sending employees to lay sandbags, for instance.
“The Palo community has always been a good neighbor to us so we were making sure that anything we could do to help that community, we were on it,” Duane Arnold communications manager Renee Nelson said Saturday.
15-year Palo resident Jennifer Cady said she'd and her three kids would be making frequent trips to the splash pad this summer.
“We've made incredible steps to get here today,” she said. “I'll be getting bugged about it all the time. They were ecstatic to get out here.”
Local parents watch as kids play at Palo's new splash pad on Saturday, May 28, 2011. The newly opened facility has a nearby pavilion, playground, and baseball field.
Palo Mayor Paula Gunter, right, tours the new community center on Saturday, May 28, 2011. Since the flood of 2008 took out the old city hall, the city council has been meeting in a small structure that only seats about 15 people.
Kids play at Palo's new splash pad on Saturday, May 28, 2011. A donation from nearby Duane Arnold Energy Center helped build the new facility.