City Of Marion: A Weekly Update From City Manager Ryan Waller For May 27

Marion IA

31 May, 2022

4:03 PM

Description

Press release from the City of Marion: May 28, 2022 City Offices Closed in Observance of Memorial Day Marion City Hall, Marion Public Library and other City offices will be closed on Monday, May 30 in observance of Memorial Day. Regular business hours resume on Tuesday, May 31. Garbage/recycling and yard waste will not be collected on Memorial Day. Collection will be one day late all week; pick-up dates will be Tuesday-Saturday. The Recycling Drop-off Center located at 195 35th Street will maintain its normal hours on Saturday and Tuesday. Marion Pool and Splash Pads Open This Weekend The Thomas Park and Gill Park splash pads will open for the season on Friday, May 27. Daily hours of operation are from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. The Marion Pool will open on Monday, May 30. Lap swim will be available from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and open swim will be from 1-7 p.m. Regular pool hours are Monday-Friday, 1-5:30 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday, 1-5 p.m. Family swim is weekdays from 5:30-7 p.m. Lap swim is offered daily from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 12:30 p.m.-close. Find additional aquatics information online. Military Tribute Banners Now on Display The City of Marion, Marion Chamber of Commerce and Uptown Marion Main Street District are pleased to announce that the military tribute banners, sponsored by area residents and businesses, are now on display. Here's a look at the printable map. This year, 113 banners are on display honoring veterans and military personnel with ties to Marion. The banners will be up through Veterans Day 2022. Over 300 service members have been honored in the first five years of the program. A portion of the sponsorship is donated to local veteran affairs programs. To request to be notified when 2023 sponsorships become available visit: tinyurl.com/marionmilitarybanners. Kudos to Chuck Whited Chuck Whited serves as the City's new right-of-way technician. He was recently applauded by a resident and Councilmember Mentzer for his attention to an ongoing problem on Partridge Avenue. Thank you for showing such commitment and professionalism as you worked to problem solve. Way to reach higher! 7th Avenue Reconstruction & Streetscape Update Mainline paving has been completed on the closed portion of 10th Street. Additional paving of the parking areas and sidewalks will occur over the next couple of weeks. Another exciting addition happened on Thursday with the installation of a new bench by Brad McDonough with Rustic Roots Wood Co. in Solon. Brad created this bench out of a Derecho tree. It symbolizes a storm that destroyed and splintered many parts of the community but symbolizes how Marion residents came together to emerge even stronger. Project updates are provided every other week, find the latest at www.cityofmarion.org/7thAveStreetscape. If you wish to receive them directly in your inbox, sign up at www.cityofmarion.org/enotify. Work to Begin at 44th Street Intersection The contractor is expected begin working on the 44th Street crossing next Wednesday as part of the 10th Avenue sidepaths project. This will reduce the north leg of the 10th Avenue/Business 151 and 44th Street intersection to one direction and the other direction will be detoured. As the improvements progress across 44th Street, the lane closure and detour direction will be adjusted accordingly. Overall, the improvements are expected to take 3 weeks, weather and underground utility dependent. Please plan accordingly if this is part of your daily commute. Teaching about the Magical Powers of City Government How do you make City government relevant to 2nd-4th graders? With a little help from my daughter and our amazing Communications Manager (Amber Bisinger), I made it relatable by using the characters of Encanto to help explain the magical powers of the various departments and how they help our community. The students also got to weigh in on the concepts being proposed for a new aquatics center (they voiced their consensus for option A which includes the wave pool). We'll call it an Echo Hill Elementary Enrichment Day success! And in case you were wondering… I did talk about Bruno. New Faces in New Places Kanan Morris begins a summer internship with the Engineering Department on Tuesday, May 31 working as an engineering tech intern. Kanan is currently attending the Wartburg College for Engineering Science. Welcome to Team Marion, Kanan! We are excited to introduce a new feature of this newsletter in response to some of the questions our City Council members are hearing during their office hours at Taube Park. When will the library open? Work continues on the new Marion Public Library and the City is expected to take possession next week. The Library team is ready to start moving in immediately, but it is expected that it will take about 12 weeks for the move and on-site training to occur. At this point, we anticipate an opening date in early September. Will there be enough parking for the demand at the new library location? We know the community is excited to get into the new library and take advantage of all the services that will be offered. The new library parking lot has over 75 spaces. There is also on-street parking surrounding the building and overflow parking available in the Marion City Hall parking lot, just across 12th Street. When does the bridge over 7th Avenue open to pedestrians/bike riders? The contractor continues to install lighting components and is putting the finishing touches on the trail and decorative railing. They are also backfilling and seeding the area. The bridge is expected to open in July. When will the iron removal facility across from Taube Park be completed? Work continues on the Marion Water Department's $2.87 million Iron Removal Treatment Plant at 2351 31st Street. This new facility will be capable of treating 1,500 gallons of water per minute from both the Jordan and Silurian Aquifers to meet the community's future drinking water needs. The facility is expected to be completed in August. Moonlit Movie Series Kicks Off Today The Marion Parks and Recreation Department is pleased to host the first Moonlit Movie of the season at the Klopfenstein Amphitheater at Lowe Park featuring "Sing 2." Special thanks to Hills Bank for serving as presenting sponsor. Free kids' activities like face painting, balloon twisting and inflatables will begin at 7 p.m. The feature presentation will begin around 8:30 p.m. (dusk). Outside food and drink are permitted but select snack vendors will be onsite during the event. Attendees should bring chairs or blankets for general lawn seating. Parking is available in three hard-surface lots, as well as marked overflow areas in the grass. Please, no dogs or other pets. Marion's parks are proud to be smoke-free, nicotine-free and tobacco-free. Marion Farmers Market Happening Saturday The Marion Farmers Market at Taube Park returns Saturday morning from 8-11 a.m. with more than 25 vendors. Find books from the Friends of the Marion Public Library, baked goods, meat, fresh flowers, honey, jewelry, woodworking, coffee beans, rugs, soaps, lotions, crafts and more. The Master Gardeners and members of the Marion City Council will also be on hand to visit with residents. Here's a look at the tentative agenda containing a list of several items that will be coming before the City Council in the weeks ahead. This press release was produced by the City of Marion. The views expressed here are the author's own.