FEMA says downtown Cedar Rapids library must go on a new site

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has decided that the city must build its new downtown library on a site other than the site of flood-wrecked library on First Street SE along the Cedar River.

City Council member and mayoral candidate Brian Fagan slipped the announcement of the FEMA decision into the mayoral debate last night at Coe College. Fagan said the FEMA decision would bring with it an extra $4 million in disaster payments for the library.

During a break in the debate, Mayor Kay Halloran, who is not seeking re-election but was in last night's audience, said the additional FEMA funds will be made available to buy land for the new library.

Fagan last night said the City Council will make the decision on where to build the new library. Two block-sized sites have been identified as preferred ones. One now is home to TrueNorth on Fourth Avenue SE across from Greene Square Park and the other is between First and Second avenues SE and Seventh and Eighth streets SE.

Fagan called the FEMA decision on the library a victory for the city's use of consultants, who helped the city make the case to build a new library at a new site.