Federal delegation recognized in Cedar Rapids for securing flood-recovery funding
First District
"When I went into the
"I had served as a soldier during the flood 10 years ago here in
Ernst and others had lobbied the
Blum had developed a relationship with
The three representatives said their frequent reminders had made
"The president, trust me, I know between the two senators and myself, almost every single time I saw the president, I'd say, '
"But the second thing I'd whisper in his ear is, '
'Government does work'
While some had lost hope of federal help, Ernst said what changed was the adoption of a disaster supplemental appropriation bill, which earmarked
That allowed help for more rural areas, such as
Cedar Rapids City Manager
"We can now officially say we are excited about a bright future ahead of us,"
Outside, about 25 people and a giant inflatable chicken intended to resemble President
"It's great we got flood-protection money, but it took a real long time," she said. "I wish they could have used their influence sooner in the process," she said.
"And Time Check was one of the hardest hit areas in the flood, and I live there. None of the people who live there have been allowed in this meeting."
The Plan
The flood control plan calls for seven miles of levees, walls, gates and pump stations to protect both sides of the
The latest cost estimate is
An open house is scheduled for
The city has committed
The federal share and additional smaller grants bring the total committed to about
A plan to cover much of that gap is expected to be presented to
At the luncheon, Pomeranz credited his staff for their efforts to support in the bid for federal aid, including
Davis has been working closely with the
Davis said he learned last week the Corps is authorized to begin drawing on the
Davis noted completing the west side remains a priority, and segments will continue, including a levee in
"They want the east side done in less than 10 years, that's their goal," Davis said. "But I don't want to give the impression that all the emphasis is on the east side. The city still is following through on the west side."
The faster pace of work on the east side could worsen the impact of flood events on the west side.
Because of that, the city may reprioritize the order of westside construction -- such as moving up the segment near
The city and the Corps plan to divvy up design responsibilities with the Corps taking lead on north and south segments of the flood control system while the city would lead the downtown area, he said. The Corps would manage the majority of construction, although the city still would have a handful of contracts, he said.
The hope is the first construction projects using the money would begin in the second half of 2019.
The likely first two candidates would be a levee from the CRANDIC rail line near
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