November 2022 Meeting Minutes
Attendance: Amy Hall-Haney, Nicole Schroeder, George Heeren, Gaylon Heetland, Chief Greg Smith, Jeff Wozencraft  | Call to Order: 7:01pm

• Treasurer's Report - Amy Hall-Haney - Ending October balance was $2,722.42 and does include the money from CANA Connect and UnityPoint from Safety Fair. $2,106.03 is our current balance after paying for ink and postage. We are currently waiting on a few reimbursements and a check from HyVee for CANA Connect. We’re solvent! 
• CRPD Update - Lt. Welsh - Overall, CANA limits are pretty quiet. Slight increase with the number of assaults. Jefferson High School is included in this. CRPD is taking applications through January 5th for police officer positions. As of November 1st, CRPD has had 1,103 weapons calls, 108 confirmed shots fired calls, and 53 firearms stolen from vehicles. Numbers are expected to go up, based on recent calls. Reminder of vehicle safety, including locking doors and windows in homes and on vehicles, especially during the winter months.
• CRFD Update - Chief Smith - Review of Neighborhood News. City tree lighting ceremony is coming up on Saturday 12/3 at 5:30pm at Greene Square Park. The Snow Buddies program is active, and the City is looking for volunteers to assist with this. In the last week, the City has had three fire deaths. All three of the homes were due to hoarding situations. The CRFD is planning for educational programs in the community related to hoarding situations and fire safety tips in 2023. As a reminder, this time of year is heavy with holiday decorations. It’s important to water your tree and turn off your holiday lights, if you have a real tree in your home for the holidays. CRFD also wants to encourage families to check batteries and/or install carbon monoxide detectors in your homes. Cardiac issues are also common this time of year, due to excessive shoveling and snow movement. It stresses the body and can be dangerous for individuals’ health. 
  • George Heeren recommended that CRPD and CRFD do public programs on MC22 or other local news channels. Chief Smith said that it is definitely an option moving forward as CRFD has done programs like “Local Leaders” in the past.
  • Gaylon Heetland asked about local resources for hoarding situations in the community. Chief Smith said he isn’t able to speak to any community resources and that is why he wants to be more educated and offer resources locally for families in the future. Lt. Welsh shared that CRPD has a mental health team that assists with the City housing department to review options for recovery and clean up on those situations. Heritage Area Agency on Aging is one local resource for elderly community members. 
• City Update - Jeff Wozencraft - Reminder of the Snow Buddies program. CANA has a few neighbors that have signed up for the program. Jeff will be sending us the list of addresses to help communicate that to neighbors for assistance. The OurCR magazine was sent out last week to Cedar Rapidians. The magazine includes parks and recreation programming for winter 2022. The City is also updating their trails and bikeway plans in 2023.
  • Gaylon Heetland asked about updates on the garden planning in 2023. Community gardens survey is open and available on the CANA website. The City is prioritizing 7 to 10 parks based on the City research that would be top choices for community gardens in 2023. Sinclair Park on the SE side is the only confirmed park for a garden as of right now. 
  • George Heeren asked about the Citizens Review Board. Jeff Wozencraft shared that the meetings are held regularly at the City Services building. Jeff will send along information on that programming to share with neighbors.
• Local Business Directory Fundraiser - Nicole Schroeder - We have three $250 listing sponsors totaling $750 so far with one final $250 sponsor pending (ImOn). We are still seeking $25 and $75 listing sponsors. There is website activity, so the directory is doing it’s job! 
• Quarterly Postcard Campaign - Nicole Schroeder - We need to decide what type of information we’ll be providing on postcards in this campaign in 2023. Brainstorming ideas are below:
  • Late winter (February) - spring/summer construction programming, summer programs, utility assistance, Neighborhood Finance Corporation, Easter Egg Hunt with Central Church of Christ
  • Late spring (May) - ReLeaf, back to school programming, Safety & Wellness Fair
  • Fall (August) - back to school, holiday planning
  • Winter (October) - Veterans programming, new year budgeting
• Easter Egg Hunt - Amy Hall-Haney - Central Church of Christ is looking at hosting another Easter Egg Hunt at Cleveland Park in March/April. They are looking at numbering eggs and making it more fair for children next year. Amy will get more information on this and bring it to the next meeting. 
• Light The Neighborhood - Nicole Schroeder - We have postcards going out this week for the holiday lights contest this week, and we have the event posted on Facebook. We already have 7 people signed up for prizes! Kwik Star donated 100 Karuba gift certificates and we have a handful of McDonald’s gift certificates that expire at the end of the year, too. 
• Other Business
  • REMINDER: No December Meeting - Happy Holidays!

 
Meeting adjourned at 7:45pm. 

Next Meeting: Monday, January 16th, 2023 at 7:00pm
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After a snowfall, it may take up to 12 hours for crews to reach every street in the city. The City prioritizes main arterial streets with high traffic volumes and posted Emergency Snow Routes first; collector and residential streets will be cleared after.

If your home is located on an Emergency Snow Route, the City prioritizes your road for plowing and requests you to move your cars from off the street. Vehicles that are not moved during this time may be ticketed and/or towed at the owner’s expense. Please review alternate parking options on our website in the event of a Snow Emergency. 

When a Snow Emergency is declared, residents are asked to park on the odd-address side of the street on odd calendar days and to park on the even-address side of the street on even calendar days. This voluntary rule does not apply to areas where alternate side parking would conflict with permanently posted parking restrictions. Vehicles that have been parked on the street for more than 48 hours may be ticketed and towed. Residents can report these vehicles by calling the Cedar Rapids Police non-emergency number: 319-286-5491. 

For a list of prioritized routes, please visit CityofCR.com/Snow.

What to Avoid:

• Placing carts on top of snow banks
• Placing carts in the street
• Placing carts too close together
• Placing carts in the right-of-way (area marked by yellow lines in the photo below)

​NOTE: The gray GARBY cart in the photo is set in the appropriate place, behind the curb, where a snow bank has been shoveled out to clear room so the cart sits at curb height.

Placing carts on top of snow banks creates a safety hazard for crew members by putting the weight above their center of gravity. Crew members have slipped and fallen under trucks and been injured trying to wrestle the containers down from the tops of snow banks. In order to protect the health and safety of our workers, the City of Cedar Rapids Solid Waste and Recycling Division has instructed crew members not to collect garbage, recycling, and compost carts placed on top of snow banks. 

Removing snow and ice from sidewalks, including the sidewalk ramp, is one way you can help keep our community safe and accessible to neighbors, children walking to school, and visitors to our city. To report a concern, visit my.cedar-rapids.org.

Changes to Municipal Code Chapter 9.11 — Clearing Snow & Ice from Sidewalks — may affect Cedar Rapids residents and property owners. Adopted changes include:

• Reduced timeframe for snow clearance. The timeframe is 24 hours to clear snow and ice, down from 48 hours previously.
• Civil citation and formal appeal process. A $35 citation fee will be charged if a sidewalk is found to be out of compliance upon inspection. Previously, no fee was charged during the inspection process. The abatement fee (if the City needs to clear the snow) remains unchanged.
• Snow Buddies snow removal program. Volunteers needed! CityofCR.com/SnowBuddies
• Adjusted enforcement timeline. Enforcement will continue to be driven by complaints received. The updated process reduces the time it will take between receipt of complaint and removal of snow by abatement staff — from 120 hours down to 72 hours.
• Additional clarity for sidewalk clearance. Language in the Code specifies property owners must clear the entire width of the abutting public sidewalks and pedestrian curb ramps.

​"This is the final update for this project.

All construction on the Chandler Street SW and 20th Street SW Pavement and Water Main Improvements-Phase 2 is now complete.

The project included replacing all water main and the City portion of water services, fully reconstructing pavements and storm sewer system, and associated work. Construction began in Spring 2021 and, as planned, required two construction seasons.   

We appreciate the patience and cooperation of project area residents over the past two years. Thank you, and please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions or concerns going forward."

About the Project
The project on Chandler Street SW and the 20th Street loop includes pavement reconstruction, all new underground utilities, and sidewalk extension on 16th Avenue SW. Phase 1 of the project was completed in 2020. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2022. 

Looking for past project updates? Newsletter Archives

Trees Forever will be offering $250 or $100 tree vouchers to residents of Cedar Rapids! These vouchers can be used towards the purchase of a tree at select partnering nurseries. In order to receive a voucher, you must fill out the registration form and attend an informational meeting.

The information session will provide you with the necessary resources to help you plant and care for your tree. A limited number of vouchers will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.

DATES FOR INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS

• Session 1: Wednesday, November 9th at 5:30 PM at the Ladd Library (3750 Williams Boulevard SW)
• Session 2: Friday, November 11th at 5:30 PM at the Downtown Library (450 5th Avenue SE)
• Session 3: Sunday, November 13th at 1:30 PM at the NW Recreation Center (1340 11th Street NW)

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Emergency preparedness is the responsibility of all of us. It’s the holiday season. Go to CityofCR.com/PACT for safety tips designed to keep your family safe whether you are traveling or hosting a celebration at home.

This month’s topic, Holiday Safety Tips, includes:

• Cooking Safely
• Holiday Travel
• Holiday Decorating
• Holiday Shopping

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