Until Corbett's arrival, Library Board had given up its bid to recommend a new library site

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

Back in July, the city's library board opted to step aside and leave the Cedar Rapids City Council to decide where to put a new downtown library. After all, it's the council's call in the end.

The board's decision to remove itself from the site selection came after closed-door meetings between representatives of the board and the City Council and the subsequent public revelation that one of the board's members had a professional connection to one of the board's most-favored sites.

The board member, attorney Dennis McMenimen, subsequently resigned from the library board.

Everything changed, though, with the arrival of Ron Corbett as the city's new mayor. After his election in November, Corbett announced that he wanted the library board to make a recommendation to the council about the library site.

The library board is slated to do that at a meeting today.

Corbett has suggested that he best likes the proposed site between First and Second avenues SE and Seventh and Eighth streets SE, which is the one whose owners are represented by McMenimen. The library board liked the site last summer because it is on higher ground and has easy access to Interstate 380.

On Wednesday, Corbett said acquisition cost will be one factor in a final site selection, and he said the First Avenue site has a lower acquisition cost than some of the other options.

Three other options all are in and around Greene Square Park closer to the core of the downtown. Downtown advocates favor a library in the downtown.

Corbett applauded the library board for "stepping up" and working hard on its recommendation. He said he was looking forward to it. He said the City Council will take the matter up in the first couple weeks of Febrary.