CR Flood 10 Years On

Cedar Rapids celebrated the 10th anniversary of our cataclysmic flood by showing off the progress of the flood control system as well as the remarkable rebirth of flooded areas. Observances included the dedication of memorials in the Time-Check neighborhood...

north side of O Av

south side of O Av; clocks are set to 10:15 when the river crested

...an organizational fair at the Veterans Building...

...a tour of restored historic properties...

The Kurik House (1910s) was moved from 1024 to 1028 2nd St SE

The exterior and interior were painstakingly restored by Todd Sabin;
today it houses Baby Time and an upstairs apartment

...and bus tours of the flood control system, the restored Water Pollution Control Facility, and historic neighborhoods.

The flood control system, funded with a mix of federal, state, local and private contributions, combines a variety of elements: earthen levees, concrete walls, movable walls and pump stations, as well as one detention basin in New Bohemia.

The slab is for receiving snow from plows

In New Bo, half a mile has been constructed of what will eventually be a 7.5-mile levee.

Section of wall seen from across 16th Av at 2nd St

Other levees are or will be in Czech Village...

Construction underway near Bowling and C Sts

...and downtown (the "transformer" aspect of  McGrath Amphitheatre). Engineer Rob Davis, program manager for the flood control system, notes that the barriers are being constructed above "2008 volume," which means the level the river would have attained if it had been constrained by all the flood control--higher than it actually was when it was able to spread.

Sign at McGrath Amphitheatre marking 2008 water level

The city has also raised the height of its wells and communications equipment, and relocated utilities. The 8th Avenue bridge will be replaced in 2023, and elevated to allow people to get over the river, which was problematic in 2008 (and even in a minor flood event in 2016).

The city estimates the total project costs as $550 million up front, $750 million over 20 years, of which about half has been secured: "City leaders continue to develop ideas to determine a funding source for the City's commitment ($110 million) as well as additional funding gaps necessary to construct the entire system." Linn County voters defeated local option sales tax referenda in 2011 and 2012.

Ten years has seen a lot of investment in the flooded areas, both commercial and residential. Assistant City Manager Sandi Fowler cited 364 new units--mostly apartments and condominiums--in Kingston, across the river from downtown, 113 of which are designated "affordable." This represents an investment of $90 million.

New condominiums on the west side

While 1356 flood-damaged properties were purchased and demolished by the city, in many areas away from the river neighborhoods were largely rebuilt, so that by the time you get to J Street SW or 8th Street NW things look very similar to their pre-2008 state.

The National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library is on higher ground, having been moved from its riverfront location in 2011. Mercy Medical Center, one of the city's two hospitals, was affected but figured out solutions for its patients as well as putting itself back together. The city has also seen construction of a new public library, fire station, city market, juvenile detention center and (currently under construction) county public health building. Historic features like the Paramount Theater, Gatto Building, and Roosevelt Hotel were saved and restored, as were smaller buildings like this former sausage shop and adjacent beer warehouse:

Shops in the 1100 block of 2nd St

Investment in New Bohemia has spread to long-neglected buildings like the Ideal Theater building on 16th Av SW. (Note the restored ticket window.)

The 1980 Water Pollution Control Facility southeast of the city had to close for two weeks in 2008, and was not fully operational again until September. In 2014 it was augmented with flood walls and berms as well as re-designed components.

The anniversary was not without its bittersweet moments, as despite the subsequent progress, the flood did bring considerable stress to home and business owners, and several blocks of housing near the river have been turned into green space...

Looking east from Northwest Neigborhood memorial

...with aspirations for recreational development (see 2014 post below).

Local historian Mark Stoffer-Hunter took time on his historic preservation bus tour to note commercial buildings that were lost, either due to the flood itself or--as in the cases of the Smulekoff's Building and Cooper's Mill Hotel--to make way for flood protection. I was pleased to see that the Northwest Neighborhood memorial included a map showing where there had been housing since the flood.

Taylor School, restored after the flood and reopened in 2009, is slated for closing in the next few years as part of the school district's consolidation plan.

It is also clear, from census tract analysis, that the benefits of rebuilding have not reached everyone. Of the six flood-affected tracts in Cedar Rapids where data are comparable across decades, there has not only been the population loss you would expect but in some areas definite increases in poverty.

CENSUS TRACT	APPROX. AREA	POP 2000	POP 2010	POP 2016	POV 1999	POV 2012	POV 2016
12	West side: TimeCheck	3215	1282	1684	8.7	17.9	14.1
22	West side: Kingston	2941	1832	2185	11.6	29.3	26.3
26	West side: Czech Villg	2967	2416	2745	15.4	17.4	19.9
19	East side: Downtown & MedQtr	3359	2891	2921	22.5	37.5	38.8
27	East side: New Boh & OakhillJ	1842	1549	1666	28.2	36.8	41.3
28	East side: so of Mt Vernon Rd	4223	4126	4247	6.9	9.7	8.5

[Sources: American Community Survey, Brookings Institution]

In three cases (19, 22 and 27) the poverty increases have qualified those areas for Opportunity Zone designation by the federal government, which may stimulate further investment. It remains to be seen how widely the benefits from that investment will flow.

Cedar Rapids faces challenges, both of sustaining its post-flood resurgence and of making the benefits of its prosperity more inclusive.

Special thanks to Rob Davis, Sandi Fowler, Roy Heseman, Mike Kuntz and historian extraordinaire Mark Stoffer-Hunter for leading bus tours on June 18, 2018. Much of this information comes from their narration and handouts.

EARLIER POSTS:
"Proposed Cedar Rapids Greenway," 13 June 2014
"CR Flood '5 Years Out,'" 31 May 2013

Special Gazette page 6/10/2018