Cedar Rapids narrows Destination Iowa funding request to $8.4 million

A view Might 11 of the west facet of the Cedar River exhibiting Czech Village Greenway Park from atop Mount Trashmore in southwest Cedar Rapids. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Work on a flood wall continues Might 11 close to the Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in southwest Cedar Rapids Iowa. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

A rendering exhibits the proposed Czech Village Greenway Park’s playground function, roundhouse plaza, avenue enhancements and adjoining improvement as a part of Cedar Rapids’ $119 million Greenway Recreation and Revitalization venture to rework the east and west sides of the Cedar River round New Bohemia and Czech Village. (Courtesy of metropolis of Cedar Rapids)

An outdated railroad bridge would be the web site for the Alliant Vitality LightLine pedestrian bridge in southeast Cedar Rapids. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

CEDAR RAPIDS — The town of Cedar Rapids is paring down its request for a share of $100 million in state-awarded federal funds from $27 million to $8.4 million in an effort to boost outside recreation across the greenway alongside the Cedar River in Czech Village and New Bohemia and lift Iowa’s nationwide profile to lure extra vacationers to city.

Metropolis workers have revised and resubmitted the Vacation spot Iowa program software to the Iowa Financial Growth Authority — on the authority workers’s suggestion — with a narrower scope to assist acquire help for the $119 million plan for a “Greenway Recreation and Revitalization” venture. State officers created the Vacation spot Iowa program with federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and invited native governments to use for a share of the cash.

The revised software contains main vacation spot options from the unique software in a “LightLine Loop” venture totaling $25.6 million that properties in on the Czech Village greenway house. This largely encompasses a roundhouse, recreation zone and plaza space, with a give attention to how the funds would enhance tourism and recreation — one of many 4 Vacation spot Iowa funding buckets.

Group Growth Director Jennifer Pratt stated these facilities construct upon the loop created by the proposed Alliant Vitality LightLine Bridge that brings the 2 historic neighborhoods — Czech Village and NewBo — collectively.

“The tasks spotlight town’s historical past of business development and immigrant story, reflecting town’s ‘Welcome is our Language’ message,” Pratt stated. “It additionally offers a next-level vacationer expertise for these visiting our group. The brand new facilities fill a spot recognized by the Cedar Rapids Tourism workplace for outside recreation house that may accommodate the massive tourism teams they give attention to attracting to our group.”

Within the revised software, Cedar Rapids officers recommend that investments within the greenway and tourism experiences have been diverted through the years towards restoration from the 2008 and 2016 floods, together with development of the $750 million everlasting flood management system, in addition to the 2020 derecho.

The Cedar Rapids Tourism Workplace has “skilled nice success” showcasing the Czech Village and New Bohemia District to guests — sometimes attracting 600 to 1,200 spectators for big conventions and conferences, in line with the appliance. However a problem with tourism attraction has been a “lack of marketable gathering areas with a novel attract Cedar Rapids.”

Metropolis officers estimate the LightLine Loop would remedy that downside and lead to an financial influence of about $4.7 to $12.5 million a 12 months.

On the NewBo facet, funding would help the ConnectCR Park that can sit on the touchdown of the LightLine Bridge, which can join the east- and westside core neighborhoods as half of a bigger grassroots venture to revitalize Cedar Lake north of downtown.

Funding is secured for the $11 million bridge, which might be a part of Cedar Rapids’ phase of the American Discovery Path for pedestrians and bicyclists and is a part of the Nice American Rail-Path.

The $1.5 million park contains pedestrian and bicycle facilities for these utilizing the nationwide path, along with historic reveals that pay homage to the realm’s industrial roots. This house was dwelling to the T.M. Sinclair and Co. meatpacking plant, as soon as the fourth-largest on the earth.

A brand new leisure path alongside Fourth Road SE from Ninth Avenue to the river is also an already-funded element of the venture. This path will tie to the brand new pedestrian bridge on the river.

The funding request additionally covers the $3.2 million, 10-acre Czech Village Greenway Park south of downtown, an open house alongside the river between sixteenth and twenty first avenues SW, that may tie into the Nationwide Czech & Slovak Museum & Library to focus on native themes and supply numerous facilities, together with a playground.

A $4 million roundhouse — a reimagination of a historic construction broken within the 2008 flood — would anchor the north half of the park. The roundhouse aligns with a brand new $3 million pedestrian promenade spanning from the sixteenth Avenue industrial hall to the park. This woonerf — Dutch for “residing avenue” — gathering house will join the roundhouse with locations such because the Czech Museum, African American Museum of Iowa, CSPS Corridor, NewBo Metropolis Market and different points of interest.

A component from the unique pitch excluded within the revised one contains an enhanced avenue community with new and improved streets in addition to avenue extensions — six tasks in NewBo and one in Czech Village.

Pratt stated the road community is within the metropolis’s Capital Enchancment Program, and improvement tasks typically speed up avenue development timing. “Whereas having the road community accomplished as one massive venture would have been excellent, it’s typical to finish avenue networks in phases as improvement happens,” Pratt stated. “We’ve got already had lots of curiosity within the undeveloped properties within the Czech Village and New Bohemia District.”

Vacation spot Iowa candidates should present they’ve secured at the least 60 % of the funding towards their tasks, which should be full by 2026. IEDA started taking functions Might 9 and can assessment them as they arrive by Dec. 31 or till funding runs out.

Thus far, Gov. Kim Reynolds and the IEDA have awarded $16.5 million in grant cash to 4 tasks within the first spherical of funding by Vacation spot Iowa, together with the event of a “Area of Goals” tv collection, new path development and new Des Moines lakefront facilities.

Feedback: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com