City Of Marion: A Weekly Update From City Manager Ryan Waller For June 10

Marion IA

14 June, 2022

7:46 AM

Description

Press release from the City of Marion: June 11, 2022 Population Estimate Report Marion's population of 41,535 was made official with the completion of the 2020 United States Census, an increase of 6,767 people over the 2010 census. In years that fall between each census, the Planning & Development Division compiles population estimates with data provided from the United States Census and the State Data Center of Iowa. Marion's most recent estimated population is 41,703 as of July 1, 2021. Corridor Corporate Games The City of Marion is participating in the Corridor Corporate Games (CCG) for the first time in June/July of this year. The games are an opportunity for team building, networking and friendly competition among other like-sized businesses in the Corridor. Organizations earn points through employee participation, performance and volunteering. At the conclusion of the games, the coveted Corporate Cup will be awarded to the winner of each division! Team Marion is off to a strong start with the Coed Bowling team - Nicholas Terbovic (IT), Mike Barkalow (Engineering), Chuck Whited (Engineering), Audrey Walters (Police) and Darcie Coberly (Parks) taking second place and the Men's Bowling team - Gary Hansen (Building), Jacob Hahn (Engineering), Matt Nissen (Parks), Clint Larrison (Engineering) and Darin Yauslin (Public Services) earning third place. Team Marion was also well represented at a CCG sponsored event this week during which team members helped prepare packaged meals for Meals From the Heartland. Way to represent! Update on Wastewater Treatment Agreement Discussions continue with the cities of Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha regarding a new wastewater treatment agreement. A consultant has been hired to review the data and both Cedar Rapids and Marion have agreed to extend the timeframe in which deliverables are due. The next meeting is scheduled for the first week in August. Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) Meeting Regarding Airport Earlier this week, members of Team Marion met with representatives of IDOT as part of the process to review and reassess the Marion airport. During the meeting, IDOT officials provided feedback on the State's airport system, grant funding cycle and items for consideration as we go through this process over the next year. During the meeting, IDOT officials confirmed that while they do participate in reviewing airport layout plans (ALP), they do not issue any formal determination, such as an approval or denial, of these planning documents. It was a productive and positive meeting. Dashboard Provides Stump Removal Status Last summer, a contractor was hired to assist with the large-scale removal of more than 1,000 right-of-way tree stumps resulting from the derecho storm. To date, 72% of stumps have been removed. The City's Urban Forestry Division has teamed up with our GIS data analyst to develop a dashboard that gives residents a real-time status report of stump removal progress in the City right-of-way. Check it out or learn more about the process at www.cityofmarion.org/urbanforestry. Lowe Park Master Plan Update The Parks and Recreation Department will be issuing a Request for Proposals to update the Lowe Park Master Plan. This plan was last updated in 2011 by RDG Planning & Design. Since then the park has seen many new improvements such as the Klopfenstein Amphitheater, ball fields, track and the City's first all-inclusive playground. Updating the plan will include the new improvements and provide clarity for the development of the rest of the park. This project will begin in July. Sidewalk Inspection Program Underway During even calendar years, the Engineering Department evaluates roughly half of the public sidewalks in Marion for code compliance and safety. This year the Sidewalk Inspection Program is focusing on sidewalks south of McGowan Boulevard. Anything that does not meet Statewide Urban Design and Specification (SUDAS) standards is marked with pink paint. Property owners are then notified of deficiencies by mail and will have until August to make repairs. 7th Avenue Streetscape Update & Upcoming Road Closures Progress continues on Phase 2 of the 7th Avenue Reconstruction and Streetscape project and crews are close to completing the paving in the 700 block of 10th Street. Once this portion of 10th Street reopens to traffic, the south section from 6th Avenue to 7th Avenue will close. Some electrical and brickwork will continue under traffic. In addition, the permanent pavement markings on 7th Avenue between 10th and 12th Streets are scheduled to be painted on Monday, June 20. This will require the closure of 7th Avenue during the workday hours. Find the latest project update at www.cityofmarion.org/7thAveStreetscape. Marion Public Library Annex Location Closing The Marion Public Library team has been working from multiple locations since the August 2020 derecho. In preparation for the transition into the new library, the Library Annex location will permanently close on June 17. The Uptown Library location on 7th Avenue will remain open for holds pick-up, computer use, browsing and more until the new facility on 6th Avenue officially opens. The new library location is expected to open in September. Kudos Nicholas Terbovic Like most, the City has been seeing cost increases for equipment and services stemming from inflation which began with supply chain issues tied to the pandemic. With the City's budgeting process occurring well in advance of procurement, this has proven especially challenging for the IT Department. They recently ran into a purchase that was budgeted at a maximum spend of $50,000 and the quote (with contracted pricing) came in at $68,000! Thanks to his knowledge of the market, Assistant IT Director Nicholas Terbovic was able to negotiate the price down to $49,998 to come in just under budget. Fiscal responsibility is important and we are fortunate to have this kind of expertise on our team. Great job, Nicholas! Kudos to Mike Barkalow During a recent Corridor Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Executive Committee meeting, Hiawatha Mayor Bill Bennett was quick to acknowledge City Engineer Mike Barkalow's role in facilitating the recent meetings in Washington, D.C. to solicit support for the RAISE grant application. He was especially complimentary of Mike's knowledge and support for the total effort. We're lucky to have you on our team, Mike! 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. It's shaping up to be another exciting weekend of community events in Marion. Special thanks to the members of our team who support these events behind the scenes. It's all part of building community! Here's a quick look at the free Marion events that are scheduled in City spaces and open to the public this weekend: Friday, June 10 Saturday, June 11 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.