Public Works plan: Lay out details

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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Cedar Rapids city officials are pursuing the idea of demolishing the current Public Works building and replacing it with a new $25 million facility.

No final decision has been made. FEMA, a cash-strapped federal agency with its hands full these days, has yet to sign off on the concept, which would play a large role in funding. City leaders estimate it will take at least six months to wind through a process that leads to a final City Council decision on the historic building's fate.

It's too soon for us to endorse or oppose the proposal. But now is the time for residents to start paying attention, too. And it's time for the city to assemble a detailed case for how a new facility would benefit taxpayers.

City Manager Jeff Pomeranz presented some sound initial argument for building new. He told The Gazette Editorial Board this week that a national engineering and construction firm, Ryan Companies, studied the current facility and recommended the city build new rather than keep the existing structure, which was flooded in 2008.

Pomeranz contends a new facility would be more energy-efficient and would improve operational efficiency. The current Public Works building is a former industrial equipment factory retrofitted over the years to accommodate city functions. Pomeranz says a new facility also could bring together similar city departments that are currently scattered.

The city manager contends that FEMA and state I-JOBS money would pay for much of the project's cost, with local dollars making up a smaller share. He says the city would build a “basic facility,” much less expensive than the estimated

$45 million public works building replacement plan floated last year. “It's not a grandiose plan,” Pomeranz said.

Still, the city has more explaining to do before the project deserves the green light. Officials need to quantify the potential taxpayer savings achieved through energy and operational efficiencies. Show in tangible ways how residents will benefit from housing several maintenance functions under one roof.

And while city leaders talk about flow charts and efficiencies, residents are thinking about snow plows, potholes and storm sewers. Officials need to provide a link between a new facility and improved city public services.

There's also the issue of the current facility's status as a historic structure, which needs to be addressed. Pomeranz said he hopes aspects of the current building's architecture could be incorporated into a new facility.

A new facility may be the best choice. But the city first must pave the path with convincing details.

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