Vision Iowa Board tells C-R to try again

The board that has handed out millions in state grants for large-scale community projects has told Cedar Rapids city leaders to go back to the drawing board and resubmit a plan for improvements along the river in Cedar Rapids. The Vision Iowa Board had earlier approved 10-and-a-half million dollars for Cedar Rapids, but Board chairman Michael Gartner says the failure of two public votes in Linn County throws community support for the project in question. Cedar Rapids leaders appeared before the Vision Iowa board today. Gartner says the board’s a little confused about the project and the financing components. He asked Cedar Rapids leaders to re-draw their application, and make it clearer. Gartner says the board “still has a great deal of interest” in the Cedar Rapids “Destination Southside” riverfront improvement project. Gartner says with the failure of the baseball stadium referendum in Dubuque yesterday, there’s now about 14 million dollars left for Cedar Rapids to apply for.Gartner says the defeat of the original bond issue in Linn County to get some public financing of the project raises questions in the minds of Vision Iowa board members. Gartner says Polk County satisfied the Board’s questions about county-wide support by conducting a poll to show a majority of citizens supported the Iowa Events Center project which eventually won a Vision Iowa grant.