CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – December 14, 2018 – The 2018 Paving for Progress construction year is coming to an end, which included approximately 9.8 linear miles of roadway improvements (or approximately 20 lane miles) for the completion of 28 projects on both local and arterial roads. This was the fifth year of the program, and one of our most ambitious to date. At the peak of construction season, the combined value of projects underway exceeded $30 million.

This year was the first of a three-year project to replace O Avenue NW between Edgewood Road and Ellis Boulevard. The segment completed this year included a complete overhaul of the section from 16^th Street to Ellis Boulevard, including new sewer, water main and pavement. The next segment of O Avenue is scheduled to begin in 2020 and will be completed in 2021, and will result in the complete reconstruction of O Avenue NW between Edgewood Road and Ellis Blvd.

Other major projects this year included:

• Johnson Avenue NW – This was the first year of a two-year project.  2018 work included the section from east of Jacolyn Drive to Wellesley Court/Shelley Lane. The work consisted of complete pavement replacement, roundabout installation to address the corridor’s accident-prone intersection, and utility work. The entire project will stretch from 1^st Avenue to Midway Drive.
• E Avenue NW from Highway 100 to Stoney Point Road, and Stoney Point Road from E Avenue to Cherry Hill Park – This was the first year of a two-year project. This year, work focused on the E Avenue portion from west of Highway 100 to Bluestone Street, which included upgrading the road to curb and gutter instead of ditches.
• Northwood Drive NE from Glass Road to 42^nd Street – This was the final year of a two-year project to reconstruct this neighborhood street. Work this year focused on the section from Glass Road to south of Brookland Drive, and included pavement reconstruction and sidewalk.

By the end of the 2018 construction season, 28 streets will have been improved through the local option sales tax, including:

1. 14th Avenue SE from 36th Street to 42nd Street
2. 14th Street SE from 5th Avenue to Bever Avenue
3. 16th Avenue SE from 4th Street to 5th Street
4. 17th Street SW from 1st Avenue to 8th Avenue
5. 22nd Avenue SW from 6th Street to 8th Street
6. 23rd Street NW from Johnson Avenue to Burch Avenue
7. 27th Avenue SW from 3rd Street to J Street
8. 36th Street SE from Clark Road to Dalewood Avenue
9. 6th Street SW Culvert at Hoosiers Creek
10. Bayberry Drive SW from Cameo Lane to Edgewood Road
11. Bramble Road SW from 29th Avenue to 33rd Avenue
12. Cameo Lane SW from Pebble Drive to 33rd Avenue
13. Carriage Drive SW from Bramble Road to Chapel Drive
14. Chapel Drive SW from 29th Avenue to Bayberry Drive
15. Coral Lane SW from Cameo Lane to Eden Lane
16. Drexel Drive SW from 1st Avenue to Langdon Avenue
17. Eden Lane SW from Bayberry Drive to 33rd Avenue
18. Hollywood Boulevard NE from Center Point Road to Council Street
19. Mansfield Avenue SE from 34th Street to 32nd Street
20. Meadowbrook Drive SE from 23rd Street to Bever Avenue
21. Northwood Drive NE from Glass Road to south of Brookland Drive
22. Avenue NW from 16th Street to Ellis Boulevard
23. Oakland Road NW from H Avenue to 32nd Street
24. Pebble Drive SW from Chapel Drive to Bramble Road
25. Texas Avenue NE from Center Point Road to Sherman St
26. Westview Drive NW from 1st Avenue to Sharon Lane
27. Wilson Avenue SW from West Post Road to Troy Street
28. Woodland Drive SE from Bever Avenue to Grande Avenue

We also had an opportunity this year to work jointly with Linn County to make improvements to Milburn Road NE from Blairs Ferry to Tower Terrace Road. Linn County has been a great partner in helping to ensure cross-jurisdiction streets are kept in good condition.

This construction year posed several challenges, including cold and wet weather extending into late spring, above-average rainfall in August and September, and multiple major flood stage threats. As a result, some projects will carry into the next construction season. Despite the poor weather, the City completed more miles of roadway repairs this year than last year (approximately 20 lane miles this year, compared to approximately 14 lane miles repaired during the 2017 season).

Projects that will carry over into next year include:

1. 3^rd Avenue Bridge
2. Arizona Avenue NE from Center Point Road to Lawrence Street
3. H Avenue NE from 14th Street to 16th Street; 16th Street NE from H Avenue to D Avenue
4. Lawrence Street NE from Hollywood Boulevard to Arizona Avenue
5. Memorial Drive SE from McCarthy Road to Mt Vernon Road
6. Memorial Drive SE from Mt Vernon Road to Bever Avenue
7. Midway Drive NW from West Post Road to Zelda Drive and from Alma Drive to Wiley Boulevard
   

PAVING FOR PROGRESS PROGRAM IMPACTS TO DATE

Paving for Progress began during the summer of 2014 and started with streets that required minimal design considerations or complexities. The program has since evolved to include a 10-year capital improvement plan that includes a prioritization list and recommended treatment methods, based on data on city roadways. The plan was published in 2015 and updated in 2017 based on new pavement data. The plan will continue to be updated approximately every two years to address changing needs in the city’s infrastructure.

To date, the program has made the following impacts:

• Linear miles of roadway improved: 43.68
• Investment as of October 31, 2018: $79.7 million
• Projects completed to date: 134
• 66 percent of completed projects have been local/residential
• 33 percent of completed projects have been arterial

IOWA CITY -- Celebrate the winter solstice with friends and family at the Winter Solstice Festival of Light Celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 21, 2018 at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, 220 S. Gilbert Street. Participants will enjoy sipping hot chocolate while making holiday gifts out of natural materials including rustic ornaments, orange and clove pomanders, Tic Tac Toe in a Bag, and much more. 

The event will conclude with luminary lighting of the Discovery Garden. 

There is no fee to participate and all are welcome! Youth must be accompanied by an adult. 

Questions? Contact Joyce Carroll at 319-356-5223 or joyce-carroll@iowa-city.org.

‘Tis the season and it’s a great reason to come together for the Coralville Community Meal. Hosted by the Coralville Community Food Pantry and Coralville Parks...… Read on

Registration for the Iowa City Public Library’s Sweet Reads Winter Reading Program begins December 17.

Available for young readers ages zero through 12, the program will help children pass the winter hours when it’s too cold to play outdoors. It will run from December 17 through February 2.

Kids who read and track 10 books on their reading log will receive a small sweet treat. Anyone who reads and tracks an additional 10 books, for a total of 20 books, will receive a free kids’ meal at Chili’s Grill & Bar in Coralville.

Sign up at the Children’s Desk or online at icpl.org/wrp. All participants will receive a game card to track their progress.

Visit icpl.org/wrp for more information or call the Library at 319-356-5200.

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for a friend or family member? Stop by the Iowa City Holiday Market from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018, at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, 220 S. Gilbert Street.

The market will be held in the Recreation Center’s gym on the first floor and Social Hall on the second floor, so be sure to visit both areas to shop for the full selection of items. Many of your favorite Farmers Market vendors and other artists and crafters from the area will participate, and your purchases of homemade, handcrafted gifts and foods will help support their work.

The potter's studio at the Recreation Center will host an open house during the Holiday Market. The public is encouraged to visit the studio located on the north side of the second floor and to decorate clay tiles. At the end of the day, the decorated tiles will be put together to create a community-made clay quilt.

For more information, contact Tammy Neumann with the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department at 319-356-5210 or e-mail tammy-neumann@iowa-city.org.

Enjoy the sounds of the season with several free holiday concerts at the Iowa City Senior Center, 28 S. Linn St. A reception with cookies will follow each event. Show times and descriptions are below:

Iowa City New Horizons Band Winter Concerts
When: Thursday, Dec. 6 and Tuesday, Dec. 11 at 2:30 p.m. 
Where: Assembly Room 
Attend one or all of the Iowa City New Horizons Band winter concerts. Ensemble groups will perform on Dec. 11, with the full band concert playing on Dec 6. Coffee and cookies will be served following each concert. 
RSVP to the Dec. 6 Facebook event  and the Dec. 11 Facebook event 

SoundReach Choir Concert
When: Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Assembly Room
SoundReach is a performance group for teens and adults who have developmental disabilities, and will present a holiday concert on Wednesday evening. A reception will follow the concert.

The Preucil School of Music Holiday Play-In
When: Friday, Dec 7 at 5:30 p.m.
Where: Assembly Room
Support young, talented, music students from Preucil. This concert will feature students from viola and cello classes. Cookies will be served following the concert.
RSVP to the Facebook event 

Voices of Experience Concert
When: Thursday, Dec 13 at 2:30 p.m. 
Where: Assembly Room
Join the Voices of Experience chorus for its winter concert. Stay for coffee and cookies after the show.
RSVP to the Facebook event 

Iowa City Police Officers took 35 area kids shopping on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, during the Holiday with Heroes event.

The annual holiday shopping trip was hosted by Target, and made possible in part by donations to the Iowa City Police Association (ICPA), including a donation by the Iowa City Masonic Lodge #4. 

The Police Association selected 35 deserving children with the assistance of Big Brothers Big Sisters, Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, the Iowa Department of Human Services, the Iowa City Community School District, and the officers’ personal interactions with families in need in the Iowa City area. Children were paired with uniformed Officers to shop for necessity items, as well as gifts for family members and themselves. Twenty ICPD Officers and employees volunteered their time to assist with this event.

The Iowa City Police Association would like to thank all of the individuals and businesses who generously contributed to this program.

Just in time for the holidays, the Iowa City Public Library will host the Seventh Annual Arts & Crafts Bazaar and Holiday Book Sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8.

Thanks to the generous donations of local artists and crafters, shoppers will find a wide selection of unique gifts from quilts and knitted items to jewelry, holiday ornaments, and more. For every $10 spent at the bazaar, shoppers receive an entry for amazing door prizes. Winners do not need to be present to win.

The craft bazaar will be held in meeting rooms A, B and C at the Library, 123 S. Linn St. The used book sale will be held in Meeting Room D. Shoppers can name their own price all day at the book sale.

Proceeds from the Arts & Crafts Bazaar and book sale benefit the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation, which supports the Summer Reading Program and other Library programs and collections.

For more information, please call the Library at 319-356-5200.

Grade: K-6 Deadline: 72 hours prior to each class date… Read on