City Of Marion: IN FOCUS: A Weekly Update From City Manager Ryan Waller For May 13

Marion IA

16 May, 2022

3:41 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Marion: May 13, 2022 FEMA Reimbursement Update On May 9, the City of Marion received over $4.1 million in public assistance reimbursements from FEMA (Federal and State combined). This brings the total received to date to $11.8 million. Thus far, FEMA has obligated a total of $18.47 million. The City has an additional $11.14 million in requests at various stages of the FEMA process. Thank you to Rita Packingham, Amal Eltahir and Tidal Basin Group for their hard work to fast track the City's reimbursements. Upcoming Street Closures for the Marion Arts Festival After two years as a virtual event, the Marion Arts Festival returns on Saturday, May 21. There will be some localized road closures in Uptown to accommodate the festival. Seventh Avenue between 10th and 12th Streets and 10th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues will close at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 20 for vendor move-in and will remain closed until 8 p.m. on Saturday. Please plan accordingly if these closures will be impacting your weekend travels during the 30th annual Marion Arts Festival. Thank you, in advance, for your patience and understanding. 7th Avenue Streetscape Update and May 16 Intersection Closure Work continues on the 7th Avenue Reconstruction and Streetscape Project. Here's a look at the latest Project Update. The best news of the week is that most of the fencing in the 11th Street Plaza area has come down. Planting and paver work will continue in localized areas. Crews are currently working on 10th Street to install underground infrastructure and need to close the 8th Avenue/10th Street intersection to safely execute some water main work. This intersection will be closed on Monday, May 16, and will remain closed for approximately five days. Please find an alternate route if this intersection is part of your daily commute. Legion Park Debris Removal As part of the City's ongoing derecho response, a contractor began working in and around the Legion Park Disc Golf Course this week to clear debris and salvage valuable wood materials. Legion Park is adjacent to Thomas Park and the Boyson Trail. Fencing and signage have been installed to identify the work zone and closed areas of the park. Crews have been removing immediate dangers but there appears to be less salvageable material on-site than originally anticipated. The City has created a reforestation plan and is committed to reestablishing Legion Park as a safe, natural area for recreation. Park and trail users are reminded to stay out of the work area. Questions may be directed to the Urban Forestry Division of the Parks and Recreation Department. Next Week is a Council Week Marion City Council will hold its regularly scheduled work session next Tuesday at 4 p.m. and its regular meeting on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. The agenda and supporting materials will be posted by 5 p.m. today at www.cityofmarion.org/meetingportal. Latest Edition of Marion Messenger The latest edition of the Marion Messenger hit mailboxes earlier this week. Find survey results, event details, streetscape updates, budget information and more in this quarterly newsletter delivered to all Marion residents. Military Tribute Banners being Installed – Map Coming Soon For the last five years, the City of Marion has partnered with the Marion Chamber and Uptown Marion organizations to provide residents and businesses with the opportunity to honor someone who has served in the military. The Public Services Department is in the process of installing the 2021/2022 military tribute banners. Once they are all in place, a map of the 111 banner locations will be created and shared. Nearly 300 veterans and military personnel with ties to Marion have been honored in the first five years of the program. We're Hiring The City of Marion is a great place to work! If you're looking for a highly-collaborative team where you can learn and grow while making a positive impact in the community – look no further. We offer competitive pay and a benefits package that includes health and dental insurance, a retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, vacation, sick and holiday pay, and more. Current full-time openings include accounting associate, entry-level police officer and equipment operator. Find a full listing of both full and part-time opportunities at www.cityofmarion.org/employment. New Faces in New Places Ryan Carlson begins a summer internship with our Engineering Department on Monday, May 16 as an engineering tech intern. Ryan is currently attending the University of Iowa for Civil Engineering. We're glad to have you, Ryan! City-Wide Garage Sale and ShoPIN Marion this Saturday Saturday is a shopper's paradise! Over 200 households from all corners of Marion will be hosting garage sales tomorrow, May 14. A map and a printable list of addresses can be found at www.cityofmarion.org/garagesale. And while you're out, visit Uptown Marion and check out a new shopping event known as ShoPIN Marion. The Marion Welcome Center, located at 1070 7th Avenue, will be offering custom Marion shopping totes for $5/bag beginning at 10 a.m. Bike to Work Week is Next Week After a two-year hiatus, the cities of Marion and Cedar Rapids are bringing back Bike to Work Week events. The Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) will begin the activities with a 17-mile ride MPO Bike Ride around Marion on Saturday, May 14, beginning at Lowe Park at 9:30 a.m. (Registration required). Marion will officially kick off Bike to Work Week activities on Tuesday, May 17 at 7:30 a.m., with a ride starting at Thomas Park and ending at City Square Park, followed by a mayoral proclamation. On Wednesday, May 18 at 6 p.m., participate in the Linn County Ride of Silence to remember those lost in cycling accidents across the nation. The ride will start and end at City Square Park in Marion. It will travel on busier streets in Cedar Rapids and Marion with a police escort. On Thursday evening, May 19, the City will host a Pedal Marion ride. This ride will begin at 6 p.m. and take a family-friendly pace using the Marion trail system. A Helmets and Hops social gathering will follow at Uptown businesses. On Friday, May 20, the City will recognize National Bike to Work Day with a 7:30 a.m. ride from Butterfield Park to City Square Park. Movies on the Move Make plans now to enjoy Movies on the Move this summer at a Marion park near you. Between May and September, on the third Tuesday of the month, the Parks and Recreation Department will bring an outdoor movie to select neighborhood parks. Next Tuesday, May 17 they will be showing "Grease" at Butterfield Park, 3500 29th Avenue. The movies are scheduled to begin around 8 p.m. (or dusk) and attendees should bring blankets/chairs for open lawn seating. Outside food and drink are permitted. Here's a look at the tentative agenda containing a list of several items that will be coming before City Council in the weeks ahead. The following are a few of the major activities on my calendar for the coming week: Sign up to receive this weekly newsletter and other updates from the City of Marion directly in your inbox by visiting www.cityofmarion.org/enotify. This press release was produced by the City of Marion. The views expressed here are the author's own.