9 minute read
Mayor's Revision
Simon Harding
Ward 4 Council Member 319-346-6695 simon.harding@cedarfalls.com
Term ends 1/2/2024
Dustin Ganfield
Ward 5 Council Member 319-553-6899 dustin.ganfield@cedarfalls.com
Term ends 1/2/2026
Kelly Dunn
At-Large Council Member 319-215-6891 kelly.dunn@cedarfalls.com
Term ends 1/2/2026
Dave Sires
At-Large Council Member 319-231-1569 dave.sires@cedarfalls.com
Term ends 1/2/2024
Easily e-mail every council member and the mayor at citycouncil@cedarfalls.com.
PLEASE NOTE: Public meetings normally held at City Hall are transitioning back with the completion of the remodel. → Always check the most current agenda for meeting locations.
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CALLING ALL ARTISTS!
The First Fifty exhibition is back at the Hearst Center this summer for its tenth year with a new theme—PATTERNS! Patterns can be literal or representative of characteristics and traits between people, objects, adventures, etc. expressed in everyday life. Artists are encouraged to embrace the theme in creating a work of art to submit.
No medium is off limits—paintings, ceramics, mixed media, textiles, photography, mosaics, and more have been featured over this event’s history. The work submitted must be your own and ready to hang. This requires a suitable hanging system attached to the work, such as D-rings with wires between.
What to do to prepare: Come early, bring a chair to sit in for the lineup and wear weather ready attire—mother nature is full of surprises. Participants are not allowed to enter the Hearst Center for any reason on drop off day before the doors open.
How to participate: The first fifty works of art to arrive on Thursday, May 25 at 9:00 a.m. are included. All are welcome to participate in this beloved and community supported experience. For questions and additional rules, contact Curator/Registrar Emily Drennan at emily.drennan@cedarfalls.com.
Cedar Falls Earth Week
The City of Cedar Falls is excited to announce Cedar Falls Earth Week, April 16–22! Organizations, businesses, and citizens are all invited to make a difference through clean-up events and education as we work together to keep our community beautiful.
“As a recognized Bird-Friendly Community and member of Tree City, USA, Cedar Falls is home to a wide variety of natural resources and there is so much local pride in helping those resources flourish,” said Amanda Huisman, Communications Specialist for the City of Cedar Falls. “During the past two City-Wide Clean-Up events, we have seen many area organizations make a major impact by conducting a cleanup activity and we are looking forward to that number growing even greater this year!”
Cedar Falls Earth Week encourages all businesses, individuals, and organizations to participate by conducting an organized clean-up activity and picking up litter in their areas. Participants can get clean-up gear including free blue 30-gallon collection bags at the Public Works Complex (2200 Technology Pkwy) and Transfer Station (1524 State St.) during normal business hours. Once filled, the blue bags can be brought to the Transfer Station or placed near the shelter areas at Overman Park, Holmes Park, Clay Street Park, Seerley Park, Neighbors Park, and Pfeiffer Park for pick-up. For other areas please contact Public Works at (319) 273-8629 to arrange a special pickup.
Participants are reminded trash must be bagged and secured before placing it for collection. Please do not overfill trash bags and always ensure they are tied tightly at the top. The City will be highlighting participating businesses on social media throughout Earth Week. Send photos of your organization’s efforts to amanda.huisman@cedarfalls.com.
During Earth Week citizens can also follow Cedar Falls on Facebook and Twitter @CityCF to hear from the City Arborist and Horticulturist for eco facts and tips, including steps the public can take to benefit the local pollinator population. The City will also be broadcasting tree plantings throughout the area which can be viewed via Facebook Live. Follow @CityCF on Facebook for information on dates and locations.
Citizens can participate in the tree planting effort as well by taking advantage of the on-going Plant A Tree program from Cedar Falls Utilities which provides a 40 percent discount for eligible trees purchased from participating retailers (up to a maximum of $100 per family, per year). Visit www.cfu.net/save-energy/shade-tree-discounts for full information.
The community can learn more about Earth Week in Cedar Falls at bit.ly/CFEarthWeek
Grow Cedar Valley offers a variety of professional development and leadership opportunities to support a strong, local workforce. One of those opportunities is The Cedar Valley Leadership Institute (CVLI), an annual class designed to give leaders a broader view of civic leadership responsibilities and opportunities here in the Cedar Valley. Additionally, Grow Cedar Valley hosts Leadercast Cedar Valley, a rebroadcast of world-renowned speakers that takes place on May 18, at the Diamond Event Center in Cedar Falls.
For more details about Grow Cedar Valley’s workforce and professional development strategies, visit growcedarvalley.com or contact Cary Darrah at cary@growcedarvalley.com.
Earth Day Trail Clean Up
Celebrate our trails during the Cedar Valley system-wide Earth Day Trail Clean Up on April 22! All are invited to lend a hand and collect litter on our area trails. This is a great opportunity for individuals, families, friends, and co-workers to come together and spend time enjoying the outdoors, while making the trails more attractive and inviting for everyone. For full participation details email volunteer@cedarvalleytrails.org.
Seerley Park Renovation Project
The City started work on major renovations to Seerley Park. Located in the College Hill district, the park is a quintessential neighborhood park, with a playground, shelter, and lots of open space. It’s a great place to enjoy the sunshine, read a book, or catch up with neighbors and friends.
Seerley Park is one of the oldest parks in Cedar Falls, acquired in 1893. It is named for Homer Seerley, President from 1886 to 1928 of Iowa State Teachers College, now the University of Northern Iowa.
In 2022, funding was approved by City Council and planning with a local landscape design firm, Ritland+Kuiper, began. This project features several proposed improvements, including a new shelter and an accessible, inclusive playground. The City, along with the College Hill Partnership and the Cedar Falls Community Foundation, have collaborated to bring College Hill the best possible neighborhood park.
Currently an outdated metal shelter sits on the east side of the park, which will be removed during renovations. The entire southeast corner of the park has a steep slope which makes mowing difficult for City staff, and is not accessibility friendly. To accommodate the new shelter, this corner will be graded with a small berm and new trees will be planted. This will make for the perfect screening background to the new shelter.
The inspiration for the shelter design comes from the surrounding homes which were mostly built in the early 1900s. The gazebo-style shelter will have both lighting and accessible electricity to accommodate both private and public events.
Currently the City’s Capital Improvements Plan, or CIP, has budgeted this renovation to begin in fiscal year 2025, with construction tentatively beginning in July 2024. As a major partner in the renovation, the College Hill Partnership will be funding 25% of the renovation costs. If you are interested in contributing to the fundraising effort to help make this project a reality, please contact Cedar Falls Community Foundation or the College Hill Partnership.
Seerley Park has always been a center of activity for the College Hill Neighborhood, serving families, university students, and visitors alike. Today the park includes a playground and a shelter, as well as the diagonal sidewalk spanning the length of the park, which has been there since the opening of the park in 1883. The College Hill Partnership is thrilled to be partnering with the City on a new renovation over seven years in making, with College Hill neighbors brainstorming ideas as early as 2016.
In addition to an updated shelter, a new playground will replace the existing structure. The Cedar Falls Community Foundation has fundraised to support accessible playgrounds at our city parks, and we are fortunate to collaborate with them on this project. With input from their Board President, John Lehman, and the landscape architects, Ritland+Kuiper’s expertise, the park’s new playground will be fully ADA accessible. It will have everything from swings to slides, and a surrounding fence to give parents some additional ease of mind. This project has been one of the top priorities of the College Hill Partnership. We look forward to hosting our existing events like Saturday in Seerley and Jazz in Seerley Park under the new shelter, and we can’t wait to start planning for new events.
There are several ways you can support the College Hill Partnership as we fundraise for Seerley Park; become a member of the Partnership, attend or volunteer at our upcoming events, follow us on social media, and please consider donating to our fund at the Cedar Falls Community Foundation.
Spring has sprung in the College Hill Neighborhood! We hope you will join us at one or more of our upcoming activities:
4/8, 5/13, 6/10: Saturday in Seerley, 9–11 am in Seerley Park Join neighbors and friends for hot cup of Sidecar coffee and homemade baked good or two.
4/29: College Hill Neighborhood Garage Sales from 8 am–1 pm Throughout College Hill.
5/20: Ephemeral Art in Seerley Park, 11 am–3 pm in Seerley Park In collaboration with The Hearst Center. Bring your family and friends to create ephemeral art! La Calle, Latin American Cuisine food truck will be there as well.
Seerley Boulevard Tree Plantings
As a gateway to the Cedar Falls College Hill area, Seerley Boulevard is known for the crabapple trees that line the street. After many years, these trees have reached the end of their lives. To help revitalize the street, the College Hill neighborhood and friends of Hugh Pettersen raised funds to purchase new royal raindrop crabapple trees. This past October, City Parks crews planted the new trees along the boulevard.
We are looking forward to how these new trees will help enhance the entrance to the College Hill area. Special thanks to the community members who made this possible. Stop by this spring to see the blooms!
Be Prepared for a Flood
With the arrival of spring, it is important to be prepared for the possibility of flooding, particularly along the Cedar River. The following information is a reminder of what to do if we experience a flood event this year. Become familiar with some important terms which will help identify the threat and hazards associated to flooding.
FLOOD WATCH: Flooding is possible. Tune in to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio and television for information.
FLOOD WARNING: Flooding is occurring or will occur soon; if advised to evacuate, do so immediately.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH: Flash flooding is possible. Be prepared to move to higher ground. Listen to NOAA Weather Radio or local radio and television for information.
FLASH FLOOD WARNING: A flash flood is occurring; seek higher ground on foot immediately.
The City of Cedar Falls Planning and Community Services Division has information about flood hazards, flood insurance, and floodplain development regulations. The division keeps copies of the flood maps in paper and digital format for public viewing. The Cedar Falls website is a great source of flood information for our community. This webpage also has a Cedar Falls flood brochure, and link to the Iowa Flood Center with up-to-date articles about flooding and predictions for the entire state.
In addition, there is a link to the National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service where real time data for the Cedar River gauge located at Cedar Falls is provided by the U. S. Geological Survey. For the website link click on the Cedar River Information–Hydrograph on the upper left menu of the Flood Information page www.cedarfalls.com/flood. Anyone can sign up for automated updates to this gauge via email or text. For more information on USGS WaterAlert visit accounts.waterdata.usgs.gov/wateralert
The City of Cedar Falls participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Community Rating System Program (CRS). The CRS is a voluntary incentive program that encourages communities to go beyond the minimum flood insurance program requirements to reduce flood risks in their communities. The goals of the CRS program are to reduce or avoid flood damage to flood insured properties, strengthen and support the insurance aspects of the NFIP, and foster comprehensive floodplain management. By participating in the CRS program, flood insurance premiums are discounted based upon a scale of 1 to 10—the lower the rating, the higher the discount. Nationwide 1744 communities participate in the CRS. Cedar Falls is one of 13 CRS communities in Iowa and one of only 201 communities in the nation ranked as Class 5 or higher. The Class 5 rating provides a 25% discount to insured properties in the one percent annual (100-year) flood zone.
Find the current floodplain web map at www.cedarfalls.com/flood
For more information on flooding risk for a particular property visit msc.fema.gov/portal/home and enter the address. Contact your insurance agent for more information on rates and coverage. If you have other questions about flooding, contact the Cedar Falls Planning and Community Services Division at 319-273-8600.
Virtual Training
If you have questions about online permitting, licensing, and nuisance reporting, please attend our Zoom training session on May 15, 2023 at 11:30 am. This training is open to anyone who is interested. The link will be at CF1Stop.com the day of the training. Hope to see you there!
