Iowa

Making the Iowa River a ‘destination’ in Johnson County

Published

2 years ago

September 6, 2022

Making the Iowa River a ‘destination’ in Johnson County

A bicycle owner rides alongside the Iowa River Path on the confluence of Clear Creek and the Iowa River in Coralville on Aug. 31. The cities of Iowa Metropolis and Coralville, together with Johnson County, are engaged on a joint grant software to make the Iowa River a signature attraction for residents and guests. Town of Coralville is planning a brand new park on the web site. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Clear Creek makes its method towards the Iowa River in Coralville. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

The boat ramp at Sturgis Ferry in Iowa Metropolis. The cities of Iowa Metropolis and Coralville, together with Johnson County, are engaged on a joint grant software to make the Iowa River a signature attraction for residents and guests. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

Rendering of the proposed Clear Creek Level Park in Coralville (Metropolis of Coralville)

A listing of potential facilities a part of the proposed Clear Creek Level Park in Coralville. (Metropolis of Coralville)

A rendering of the proposed Clear Creek Level Park in Coralville through the wintertime. (Metropolis of Coralville)

A path marker for the Iowa River Path on the confluence of Clear Creek and the Iowa River in Coralville. The cities of Iowa Metropolis and Coralville, together with Johnson County, are engaged on a joint grant software to make the Iowa River a signature attraction for residents and guests. Town of Coralville is planning a brand new park on the web site. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)

CORALVILLE — Native governments in Johnson County wish to make the Iowa River a signature attraction for residents and guests.

With the assistance of Suppose Iowa Metropolis, the cities of Coralville and Iowa Metropolis, together with Johnson County, are making ready a virtually $6 million software to the state’s Vacation spot Iowa program that will likely be submitted within the coming weeks.

The joint software seeks funding for varied initiatives enhancing water and path entry within the county. This features a new park in Coralville with varied facilities, a skatepark renovation in Iowa Metropolis, new boat ramps, and finishing the Clear Creek Path connection out to Kent Park.

“We’re dubbing ourselves the pedal paddle vacation spot of the Midwest due to all of the path accesses you can pedal on and all of the water entry you’ll be able to paddle on,” mentioned Nick Pfeiffer, Suppose Iowa Metropolis’s vice chairman of public affairs.

The initiatives inside the grant software are “shovel prepared” and will get began inside the subsequent 12 months, Pfeiffer mentioned. They’re half of a bigger, long-term imaginative and prescient to revitalize the Iowa River for recreation.

The entire software quantity, which presently sits at $5.8 million, might change barely earlier than it’s submitted, Pfeiffer mentioned. With how issues stand presently, Coralville would obtain about 40 %, Iowa Metropolis 25 % and Johnson County 35 %, he added.

It’s a collaborative effort with a “united imaginative and prescient,” Pfeiffer mentioned. If the state awards the complete quantity requested, Pfeiffer mentioned that might care for the funding for the initiatives.

Bigger imaginative and prescient

The initiatives inside the software are half of a bigger imaginative and prescient to make the Iowa River a signature attraction. That imaginative and prescient can be among the many priorities recognized within the plan printed by Mission Higher Collectively 2030 earlier this yr.

Whereas the river has been maintained over the many years, it hasn’t been utilized to its full potential, Pfeiffer mentioned.

“Although it cuts by the guts of our communities in our county, we largely ignore it and do not make the most of the great thing about it and all that it may be,” Pfeiffer mentioned.

The long-term plan is to develop options to make the river simpler to make use of from the Coralville Reservior dam all the best way down south to Hills and Riverside. That features enhancing the path system, including extra boat ramps so individuals can simply get on the water and planning different sights alongside the river, Pfeiffer mentioned.

It should give residents a number of retailers for recreation and leisure, in addition to appeal to extra guests to the world, he mentioned.

‘Cohesive riverfront’ in Coralville

Town of Coralville is trying to develop bicycle and small water craft facilities the place Clear Creek meets the Iowa River simply east of First Avenue, mentioned Sherri Proud, town’s parks and recreation director. The positioning is south of the Iowa River Energy restaurant and the previous location of Hawkeye Prepared-Combine.

The proposed Clear Creek Level Park might even have pickleball courts, train stations, shelter for actions, a strolling loop, pump observe and extra. A “repair it” station for bikes and “kayak merchandising station” for leases — just like a motorbike share program — are additionally a part of the proposed plan, Proud mentioned.

The placement is an efficient place for an accessible kayak launch as a result of the water is calmer, Proud mentioned. Within the winter, the strolling loop could possibly be a spot for ice skating.

The concepts and park identify are in draft kind and will likely be mentioned extra as soon as funding is secured, Proud mentioned. The venture could be accomplished in phases.

“We’re speaking about drawing from the historical past of the ice trade on the Iowa River, in addition to the mill trade,” Proud mentioned. “There will likely be some tying that in with the Iowa River Touchdown and ensuring you might have a cohesive riverfront right here in Coralville with all of these concepts.”

Iowa Metropolis’s plans

In Iowa Metropolis, funds could be used to renovate the skatepark and add a motorbike pump observe at Terrell Mill Park, construct an off street bike observe on land north of Metropolis Park, and enhance boat drops within the space.

The skatepark could be made larger and embrace a couple of additional facilities, Pfeiffer mentioned. The pump observe could be for these utilizing BMX kind bikes.

There may be the opportunity of a ship drop at Waterworks Prairie Park, which is on North Dubuque Avenue simply north of Interstate 80.

“It will make a very nice entry … that you can put a ship in or kayak or canoe and paddle down the Iowa River after which get off at Clear Creek Level Park,” Pfeiffer mentioned.

Additionally on the radar is to enhance the present boat drop at Sturgis Ferry Park on South Riverside Drive, Pfeiffer mentioned.

“They are going to enhance that space, positively costume it up and enhance the entry to it and the facilities which are there,” Pfeiffer mentioned.

Extending Clear Creek Path

Johnson County’s piece of the applying entails connecting Clear Creek Path to F.W. Kent Park, Pfeiffer mentioned. The $5 million path extension has secured $3.5 million in funding and is trying to safe the remaining $1.5 million, The Gazette reported earlier this yr.

Clear Creek Path presently runs from what will likely be Clear Creek Level Park out to the Interstate 80/380 interchange. As soon as development on the interchange is accomplished, the path will go beneath the bridges and hook up with the path in Tiffin.

The requested funds would assist lengthen the path 2.5 miles from Tiffin out to Kent Park.

“We hope to have that path related right here, so you’ll journey your bike from Iowa Metropolis or Coralville, all the best way out by Tiffin and all the best way to Kent Park,” County Conservation Director Larry Gullett mentioned in Might.

Feedback: (319) 339-3155; izabela.zaluska@thegazette.com

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Iowa

Iowa Tied for Sixth at Fighting Irish Classic

Published

4 hours ago

October 7, 2024

Press Room

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Iowa men’s golf team finished two rounds of play at the Fighting Irish Classic on Sunday. The Hawkeyes currently sit in sixth place out of 15 teams.

Sophomore Noah Kent and junior Gage Messingham are both leading the Hawkeyes, tied for 8th place overall. Kent shot 1-over (71) in the first round and 1-under (69) in the second round, finishing with a total score of 140. Messingham join Kent as the only other Hawkeye to go under-par today in a round.

Sophomore Max Tjoa is tied for 37th place, shooting rounds of 74 and 72, with a total score of 146. Senior Chance Rinkol posted scores of 71 and 77 in the first and second rounds, respectively, and sits tied for 51st place with a score of 148. Senior Josh Lundmark recorded rounds of 79 and 71, finishing tied for 64th place with a total score of 150.

HAWKEYE SCORECARD

6/15	Team	+5	+3	148
T8	Gage Messingham	-1	+1	140
T8	Noah Kent	+1	-1	140
T37	Max Tjoa	+4	+2	146
T51	Chance Rinkol	+1	+7	148
T64	Josh Lundmark	+9	+1	150

HEAR FROM HEAD COACH TYLER STITH
“Today was a very strong team performance with Noah and Gage leading the way. We showed a lot of grit all day but especially down the stretch. We’re in a great position heading into the final round.”

UP NEXT
The final round of the Fighting Irish Classic is set to tee off on Monday morning.

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Iowa

Nebraska Volleyball Dominates Iowa in Sweep

Published

12 hours ago

October 6, 2024

Press Room

Nebraska Volleyball Dominates Iowa in Sweep

Nebraska volleyball entered October a perfect 38-0 against Iowa all-time. That number is now 39-0.

The No. 2 Huskers (14-1, 4-0 Big Ten) swept the Hawkeyes (8-8, 2-2 Big Ten), 25-17, 25-11, 25-13. This is the eighth-straight sweep for Nebraska over Iowa and 11th-straight win since falling at SMU.

Nebraska’s offense hit a blistering .404, led by 10 kills on .400 hitting from Merritt Beason.

The story of the day was the middles, though. With Andi Jackson out again, Leyla Blackwell earned the start alongside Rebekah Allick. The pair notched nine kills each, with Blackwell hitting .692 and Allick hitting .583. They also combined for five blocks.

Bergen Reilly dished out 35 assists.

Iowa managed to hit just .155, but did have the player with a match-high for kills: Michel Urquahart at 11.

Nebraska is back in action Friday, hosting No. 10 Purdue.

MORE: Andi Jackson Out, Taylor Landfair to Start Again for Nebraska Volleyball

MORE: Nebraska Football Continues to Receive Votes in Coaches, AP Polls

MORE: Nebraska’s James Williams Shares Emotional Journey After Standout Game Against Rutgers

MORE: Ball-Busting Blackshirts and Buschini Bombs in the Blistering Heat are Homecoming Heroes for the Huskers

MORE: Big Ten Football Week 6 Capsules

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

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Iowa

Iowa football: When, if ever, will the Hawkeyes’ quarterback woes get solved?

Published

20 hours ago

October 6, 2024

Press Room

Iowa football: When, if ever, will the Hawkeyes’ quarterback woes get solved?

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz made his view of the quarterback position pretty clear after Saturday’s 35-7 loss at Ohio State.

No, the Hawkeyes are not headed for a change at quarterback, Ferentz said.

“We’re not ready, I think, to have a controversy at that position,” the longtime head coach said.

The loss to Ohio State again illustrated the gap between Iowa and national powerhouses. The Hawkeyes haven’t beaten one of the three giants of the Big Ten — Penn State, Michigan or Ohio State — since a 2021 win over the Nittany Lions. Against ranked opponents last season, Iowa was beaten a combined 92-0.

Perhaps you could point to the fact that Iowa at least scored on Saturday as progress. But in reality, Saturday’s margin was similar to those three games last season.

More: Leistikow: Rating concern levels for Iowa football at quarterback, offensive line, defense

The quarterback position wasn’t good enough on Saturday. Cade McNamara finished the game 14-of-20 passing for 98 yards and three turnovers — two fumbles and one interception. Just like the game itself, the quarterback play fit an old, tired narrative.

When, if ever, will Iowa’s quarterback woes finally be solved?

To be clear, quarterback production was not the only deficient area on Saturday. The Hawkeyes were beaten in the trenches — on both sides of the ball — and outgained 203-116 on the ground. Iowa’s defense also gave up four touchdowns through the air.

After Iowa trailed just 7-0 at the break, it got ugly in the second half. Ohio State is a legitimate national championship threat, and the Hawkeyes didn’t do much in the third and fourth quarters to show they could compete at that level.

“The bottom line is, you’ve got to play clean football against a team like this,” Ferentz said. “We weren’t able to do that. They get some credit on that, too.”

Kirk Ferentz on Cade McNamara after loss to Ohio State: ‘Cade will be fine’

Kirk Ferentz discusses a variety of topics after Iowa’s 35-7 loss to Ohio State.

Since the 2019 departure of Nate Stanley, Iowa’s quarterback struggles have been no secret. Whether it be Spencer Petras or Alex Padilla or Deacon Hill, Iowa hasn’t gotten necessary production from that position. There was optimism that McNamara, once a prized transfer from Michigan, would be the solution.

Through the first 10 games of his Iowa career, McNamara has fallen short of that.

The lowest bar for McNamara to clear as Iowa’s quarterback — taking care of the ball — is something he was unable to do on Saturday.

McNamara’s turnovers came on three consecutive possessions to open the second half, all but erasing any first-half hope that Iowa had managed to build.

Because Iowa lives in such thin margins, avoiding turnovers is paramount, even more so against a team like Ohio State. The lack of ball security was a reason the quarterback position was such a disaster at Iowa last season. Hill finished the season with a ratio of eight interceptions to five passing touchdowns.

McNamara’s touchdown pass-to-interception ratio this season is now 3-to-3. He was without a turnover against Illinois State, Troy and Minnesota, but coughing up the ball proved costly against Iowa State and Ohio State. An early second-half turnover against Iowa State this season gave the Cyclones life. Three against Ohio State on Saturday shut the door on a possible upset.

“We evaluate every position week to week,” Ferentz said about quarterback. “But we’re comfortable. I think Cade’s improving. I really do. It sounds funny with the turnovers today, I think he seems more comfortable. His timing seems better. And he was getting the ball out really well in the first half. We have to improve as a collective offense.”

It might go against popular opinion but to Ferentz’s point, McNamara started Saturday’s contest well, completing 10 of his first 12 passes. There is, however, a gaping hole in that argument.

Completion efficiency is not McNamara’s biggest issue. In fact, in the last two games — against Minnesota and Ohio State — he was a combined 25-of-39, marking major improvement from a putrid 13-of-29 outing against Iowa State.

But that extremely efficient stretch against Ohio State matters less if it amounts to zero points and also means turning the ball over three times later on.

In his Iowa career, McNamara has not yet thrown a touchdown against a power conference opponent (granted, a redzone package with backup Brendan Sullivan was implemented earlier this season, making it more difficult for McNamara to do so). But more troubling than the lack of touchdowns are the fact that all three of his interceptions this season have come against power conference opponents (one was a last ditch heave against Iowa State). You can also add the two fumbles against Ohio State to that turnover tally.

Iowa didn’t get McNamara just to beat up on lower level programs. When the competition level rises, he needs to do so with it.

“We just can’t turn the ball over,” McNamara said Saturday. “We had three drives in a row with turnovers. That just can’t happen. They just came out in the second half and they played well. They’re are a good defense and they’re a good team.”

You can argue ad nauseam against Ferentz’s assertion that McNamara is improving. But bottom line is, the fact that this is even a discussion is a problem. It was reasonable to think that McNamara would’ve been better than this through five games.

Iowa doesn’t need its quarterback to be prolific. Running back Kaleb Johnson solves a lot for the offense with the way he’s been playing. Iowa just needs McNamara to take care of the ball and make defenses pay on occasion when the chance presents itself.

In critical moments, that hasn’t been the case.

Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson reacts to 35-7 loss at Ohio State

The Hawkeyes junior wound up rushing 15 times for 86 yards, but most of those came after the game was decided.

Through the first 10 games of his Iowa career — split between 2023 and 2024 due to injury — McNamara hasn’t done much to validate the excitement that once surrounded him. Ferentz has preached patience for someone who has been out for an extended period — on multiple occasions. That faith in him could still bear results.

But time is becoming of the essence for McNamara to change the narrative.

Said Ferentz: “Cade will be fine.”

Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com

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