Government Notes: CRANDIC Bridge to be demolished to clear path for ConnectCR bridge construction

Jul. 17, 2023 5:00 am

As part of the grassroots ConnectCR project — the city of Cedar Rapids’ largest public-private partnership — the former CRANDIC bridge over the Cedar River will be demolished to make way for a new bridge.

The project in the coming years will revitalize Cedar Lake with new recreational amenities and other improvements, and also add a new Alliant Energy LightLine pedestrian-bike bridge spanning the river.

But first, the old Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Bridge must be removed. Cargill is located to the north of the bridge and Mount Trashmore is to the south. The bridge partially collapsed in the 2008 flood and its remnants must be cleared before construction of the LightLine bridge can begin. Construction on that is slated to start in 2024.

Assistant Public Works Director Brenna Fall said structural elements of the bridge will be salvaged and used for interpretive signage at the ends of the future bridge.

Demolition is expected to cost about $650,000. Demolition may begin in September and go into winter. The City Council has not yet signed off on a contract for the work.

The Linn County Board of Supervisors last week signed off on a contract for no more than $30,000 with EOR Inc. to help with ordinance research and writing services as the county prepares to modify code language governing utility-scale solar installations.

While working on code changes, the supervisors extended a moratorium on new solar applications through Sept. 30. This allows time for proposed new code language to be prepared by staff and come before the Planning and Zoning Commission and eventually the three-member Board of Supervisors.

“This will really help push us over the line and have our code ready to go for the August Planning and Zoning Commission meeting,” Planning and Development Director Charlie Nichols told the supervisors last week.

Modified code language is slated to come to the supervisors by September, Nichols said.

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Any code changes would not apply to previously approved projects. Last year, the supervisors OK’d three utility-grade solar installations — one near Coggon and two related projects near Palo.

Idaho-based Clenera and the Central Iowa Power Cooperative are developing the 640-acre site near Coggon. NextEra is developing two projects on 1,000 acres near the decommissioned Duane Arnold Energy Center nuclear plant near Palo.

Iowa City residents who own or want to own urban chickens can now have two additional hens and no longer need neighbor consent to own chickens, although they are encouraged to notify their neighbors.

Chickens are now also allowed in multifamily residences, as long as the resident has the landlord’s consent.

The Iowa City Council last week approved these changes to the city’s urban chicken policy, which has been in place since 2012 and has not been modified. The council first discussed updating the policy during a work session last month.

No individuals spoke during public comment at last week’s meeting.

With the updated policy, six hens are allowed instead of four. Chickens are now allowed in multifamily residences with landlord’s written consent. The previous policy allowed chickens only on lots with single-family homes, according to a council memo.

The previous policy required written consent from all neighboring properties, which is no longer required.

There is no change to the permit fees.

A council memo from June 15 states there are 30 active urban chicken permits in the city. City staff can recall after issuing two municipal infractions for violating the ordinance. Staff have not revoked a permit.

Iowa City staff report having received one nuisance call in the last two years about chickens that were loose outside the yard and one welfare complaint that was unfounded.

The city of North Liberty will pay $2.6 million to acquire land for a new city park.

The North Liberty City Council last week approved a resolution authorizing the payment. The North Side Community Park project is among the initiatives identified in the city’s 2022-24 goals report.

The council earlier this year approved the use of eminent domain to acquire the 40.46 acres of land from the Meade Family Limited Real Estate Partnership. Negotiations with the landowner were unsuccessful.

The appraised value for the land was $2.52 million, which was the minimum amount the city could pay to acquire the land.

The city of Iowa City is offering a food waste composting drop-off option for Johnson County residents who don’t have access to curbside composting.

The event-style pilot program will take place Wednesdays at the East Side Recycling Center, 2401 Scott Blvd. from 7 a.m. to noon. This will be offered every Wednesday until Sept. 27.

There will be drop off bins near the red shed on the parking lot’s southeast side. Each resident can drop off up to 10 gallons of food waste every Wednesday.

Food waste can be brought in paper bags or reusable containers that residents take back with them after emptying the food waste out.

Accepted items include: coffee grounds, eggshells, bread and grain products, meat and bones, seafood and shells, non-liquid dairy products, fruits and vegetables, pizza boxes, paper napkins, paper towels and paper clamshell containers.

Not accepted items include: yard waste, animal waste and any items that are not food parts or accepted paper products.

The Cedar Rapids Community School Foundation is hosting a welcome reception for new Superintendent Tawana Grover Wednesday, July 19, from 4-6 p.m. at the Educational Leadership and Support Center, 2500 Edgewood Road NW, Cedar Rapids.

Grover began as superintendent of the Cedar Rapids Community School District in April. She most recently served in her seventh school year as superintendent at Grand Island Public Schools in Nebraska, where she made history as the first Black superintendent in Nebraska and the first female superintendent at Grand Island Public Schools.

There are 32 schools in the Cedar Rapids district serving about 15,700 students.

Families, educators and staff and community members in the Clear Creek Amana Community School District will have a chance to suggest a name for the district’s new elementary school under construction in Coralville.

Superintendent Corey Seymour said the district will begin accepting name suggestions from residents in the community this week. The Clear Creek Amana school board will go through the list this fall and ultimately vote on what the school will be named, Seymour said.

Seymour said he is looking forward to the “historic perspective” some community members might include in their school name suggestions.

Schools are “vital” and often the “heartbeat” of a community, which is why Seymour said it’s important community members’ voices are heard in naming this new school.

“As that school thrives, that community is going to thrive,” Seymour said.

The district broke ground on the new elementary school in June. The school will sit on 30 acres of land west of Coral Ridge Avenue and east of the intersection of Interstate 380 and Highway 6 in Coralville.

This will be the sixth elementary school to be constructed in the Clear Creek Amana district and will alleviate overcrowding in its other schools. It also will be the district’s largest elementary with a capacity for 600 students.

Construction and furnishing of the school is being funded by a $65 million bond referendum approved by voters in March 2022.

Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. Gazette reporters Marissa Payne, Izabela Zaluska and Grace King contribute.