Where should the new rec center be built?
A new, second-try City Hall task force convened Thursday and expressed no interest in building Cedar Rapids’ new west-side recreation center on Harrison Elementary School property as a way to get the school off a list for potential closure.
Instead, members made clear that they want to focus their attention for a $3-million-plus recreation center on city-owned property along Ellis Boulevard NW, the main traffic artery through the northwest neighborhoods.
The new recreation center, which the city has been working to site for more than 18 months, will replace the flood-ruined Time Check Recreation Center, which was demolished this week.
A previous task force and city officials earlier had rejected the idea of building the new facility on elevated ground in the 100-year flood plain because of extra cost, but the new group said it remained open to the option.
That first panel settled on three possible sites for the new facility, all of which were in or next to Ellis Park. The City Council rejected those last month and called for the new task force.
Where do you think the new rec center should be built?
New Bohemia
Wherever Ron Corbett has already decided.
How about an elevated site across from where the YMCA use to be. 1500 block of Ellis Blvd or what would be the 1800 block of 9th street N.W. City bus goes by every half hour.
How about the 11 acre park by Penford? That way the museum could smell sweat, instead of Penford.
Yeah, and then maybe they could experiment with their ‘cladding’ of a nice happy mural of flowery meadows on the side of the building.