| Coffee Talk: Corridor Conversation (8/27/10). Host Art Staed is joined by former Mayor Kay Halloran, councilman Tom Podzimek, and community activist, Linda Seger. This month's review includes discussion of the Medical Mall and the closing of 2nd Avenue SE, uses of Local Option Sales Tax Funds, the events center and the redevelopment of downtown, the choices posed for downtown redevelopment in light of the Council's continuing encouragement of construction on the outer limits of Cedar Rapids and environs. | Local Option Sales Tax Oversight Committee (8/26/10)—Update on funds expended for reimbursement for personal possessions. Discussion of use of LOST funds to reimburse renters for loss of personal possessions during the flood of 2008; a review of funds available for purchase and rehibilitation of houses in light of obligation of funds for reimbursement of personal possessions. | Cedar Rapids City Council (8/24/10)—Whether to close 2nd Avenue SE between 10th & 12th Streets is the main attraction—and right up there on the list of priorities: the third and final reading of an ordinance authorizing urban chickens. | Cedar Rapids City Council (8/20/10)—The Council reviews appeals of FEMA's decision greatly to reduce the amount projected for alternative projects associated with the demolitions of the Sinclair site and Quality Chef. | Budget Committee: Cedar Rapids City Council (8/17/10)—Update on the uses of Local Option Sales Tax funds, discussion of using LOST funds for interim mortgage assistance and to aid renters. Review of the application process for funds from the Hotel/Motel tax, revenue projections for FY 2012, and preparations for a Brown Bag on 8/20/10 to review appeals to FEMA on alternative projects. |
| Cedar Rapids City Council (8/12/10)—Hear presentations from consultants seeking to be retained by the Council to assist with Flood Recovery Planning. Both groups have local representatives; both include significant elements from outside Cedar Rapids. The meeting began with three (3) council members present, and ended with five (5) in attendance. | Cedar Rapids' Historic Preservation Commission (8/12/10) Deals with several requests for home demolitions and priorites for FEMA-funded projects. | Cedar Rapids City Council (8/10/10)—This regular meeting includes public comment by PCI employees voicing support for the Medical Mall, an update on getting heating for the Veterans Memorial Building, wind energy for the city, and finalization of urban chicken legislation. | Procument Committee of the City Council (8/10/10) Reviews the Council's "buy local" resolution, the city's participation in the state's bidding program, and an update on the demolition work at the Sinclair site. | Veterans Memorial Commission (8/9/10) Review of a bid to install boilers in the Veterans Memorial building, consideration of the placement of the backup generator for the Veterans' Memorial building to a site on the west side of the park between the VM building and the County Courthouse. |
| Kris Gulick, City Council District #1, District Meeting (8/7/10) A presentation of issues currently before the City Council is followed by an extended and animated Q & A. | Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (7/17/10) The statewide convention of this activist group of some 3000+ members featured keynote speaker Chris Hayes of the Nation magazine and demonstrations at the Culver's residence at Terrace Hill in Des Moines and Terry Branstad's campaign headquarters in Urbandale. ICCI was recently featured on the last of PBS's Bill Moyers' program. | City Council (7/13/10) Proposed changes to the city's housing code draw extended public comment. Last ditch efforts to save the plinth of the Sinclair smokestack crumble. And these are only parts of a very long meeting. | Wellington Heights Neighborhood Assn (7/14/10) gets briefed on the proposed Medical Mall by Mike Sundall, CEO, Physicians Clinic of Iowa. The Q&A gets a bit testy. | Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis (7/14/10) Is this what Third Street SE from the Events Center to New Bohemia might come to look like? |
| Cedar Rapids City Council & Linn County Supervisors meet together to explore possibilities of jointly funded public projects and other matters of common interest. | The Grant Wood Window (7/4/10) is dedicated at an event on the Second Avenue Bridge in front of the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. | Lime Creek Watershed Council (6/27/10) meets at Lime Creek Park near Brandon to get an update on work by students in the chemistry program at Coe College in monitoring the water on Lime Creek to measure efforts to reduce contaminants. | Cedar Rapids City Council (6/22/10) The last meeting of June features hiring a new City Manager, controversy over the Mayor's approach to appointments to Boards and Commissions, adopting new housing regulations and conceding that the Sinclair smokestack must come down. | Army Corps of Engineers (6/23/10) hosts an open house to provide information about their plan for flood protection for Cedar |
| Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission (6/16/10) Reviews its finances, a housing ordinance in preparation for presentation to and adoption by the City Council, and reports from committees and the Director. A quorum was not present. | The Main Street Board (5/11/10) listens and questions as Alliant Energy's representatives try to make their case for planting a substation in the heart of the Oak Hill and New Bohemia neighborhoods. A previous meeting (11/6/09) seven months ago covered many of the same issues. Support of Alliant's efforts to place the substation near the Cherry Building by City staff was evident during and following this meeting. |
Cedar River Watershed Coalition Second Meeeting (4/30/10) features presentations and reports by several groups involved in flood protection…Explorations (2/5/10) by leaders from along the Cedar River of what can be done this year…Rob Hogg, Iowa State Senator, District #19, Cedar Rapids,(1/4/10) convened a meeting of flood experts and others seeking information and insight to aid him in addressing issues of the 2008 flood during this legislative session. |
U of I Iowa Flood Center (2/25/10) Director Dr. Witold Krajewski and hydrolic engineer Dr. Larry Weber give a progress report on developing flood-predictive models/mapping for the Cedar River to a gathering at the Center for Energy and Environmental Education at UNI. | A Time to Listen (3/11/10)Presentations by the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Weather Service—and the City's Public Works Department regarding flood-threat readiness A Time to Listen (1/14/10) A listening meeting hosted by Ron Corbett, Cedar Rapids' Mayor-elect. The first listening session, 12/3/09 plus post-event interviews with some who attended. |
| A Watershed Year—Anatomy of the Iowa Floods of 2008(4/10/10) A discussion based on the book by that title recently published by the University of Iowa Press, involving the book's' editor, Cornelia F. Mutel, Iowa Flood Center Director Witold Krajewski, Iowa State Senator Rob Hogg and Chair of the Linn County Board of Supervisors Linda Langston. The discussion, including at Q&A period, was held at the Bridge Library at Westdale Mall in Cedar Rapids. |