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This past week, hundreds of people gathered in a Cedar Rapids church to talk about ways to help solve the public library’s budget problems. Elected officials at the “town hall meeting” said it wasn’t a library budget problem, but rather a “city budget” problem. Everyone in the audience seemed passionate about helping the library (including the elected officials). But, the city council only has a limited amount of money to work with. I’d like to know what you think about all this. What suggestions/ideas do you have for the city council and/or the library? This year, there’s also a real possibility that the Westdale Mall branch could close. Do you think it’s worth fighting to keep the branch open? Why/Why not? Click on the “comment” link below to post your thoughts & ideas!

I took a brief break from my blog because of the holidays, but now I’m ready to start writing again. This past week, I spent three days in Des Moines covering the Iowa Caucuses. I’ve done stories leading up to the caucuses for about a year, so it was exciting to finally be there in Des Moines covering the event.

During the past year, I’ve interviewed every single major presidential candidate. I don’t know how many reporters can say that, but it’s something I will always remember. Everyone sees the candidates on television all the time, and it’s easy to forget these are real people with really intense schedules. Most of the candidates I interviewed looked tired and exhausted before our cameras started rolling. Then, once we started recording, they seemed to find some energy. I can’t imagine how stressful and tiring the campaign process is for these politicians. I realize they all chose to run, but you have to wonder how they manage to keep smiling and stay sharp after months of non-stop speeches and interviews with the media.

I can tell you that just about every single candidate (both Republican and Democrat) was friendly. When you’re sitting in a room with them and just a few other individuals, these “candidates” quickly become “people”… people who happen to be running for president.

On the day of the Iowa Caucuses, Des Moines was crazy. Journalists from all over the country and all over the world were there. I saw ABC’s Charles Gibson walking around the Polk County Convention Complex just like all the other reporters. He looked a little lost, but I think he figured out where he was going! It was also especially interesting to watch the international reporters try to make sense of the caucuses.

Once the results starting coming in, we broke into regular programming multiple times. We had no scripts and just a limited amount of information. As a reporter, it was exciting to be in this situation…When we had new details, we brought them to you immediately. We didn’t have to wait for a newscast to start. This could have been stressful (and at times it was), but for the most part it was just pure fun.

I woke up on the day of the caucuses around 8:30 a.m. I didn’t get any sleep until about noon the next day. Obviously, I was exhausted. Yet, at the same time, I know I will never forget covering the caucuses. I love covering politics. Reporting about the caucuses was an incredible experience. I am so glad I had the opportunity to be there in Des Moines on January 3rd.

I think one of the biggest misconceptions I’ve run into while covering the city council beat is that people think the city of Cedar Rapids owns the Osada low-income housing apartment building. I can’t tell you how many people think the council has something to do with the recent decision to close the building. Alliant Energy actually owns the largest stake in the property.

The City of Cedar Rapids did have a role in the project, however.  The city invested about one million dollars in Osada. In addition, the city paid moving expenses for tenants who wanted to move out during the past few months.  City leaders said they felt it was their responsibility to help those tenants relocate.

Now, the question is – what’s next? I’ve spoken to the person who is interested in revamping the building and converting it into condos. Fred Timko, a developer from Point Builders, has a vision for the complex. He thinks there would be plenty of people who would love to live downtown in a newly remodeled apartment.

Before he agrees to buy the property, Timko wants the council to agree to pay for improvements to the area surrounding the building. We’re talking about upgrades like new street lights and sidewalks. Timko has also asked the city to chip in about $200,000 to create a nicer park near the building, too. The total cost of these requests is about $700,000.

It’s important to note that those improvements would likely benefit the entire downtown area, not just people who would move into the new condos. Nicer streets and parks may help everyone, but those improvements come with a price tag some may find outrageous, especially when the city is facing more major budget problems.

Plus, there’s already a lot of controversy surrounding the Osada project.  

People are obviously upset that Osada failed. It’s not this new developer’s fault. Some people who have e-mailed me think Timko should try to somehow “resurrect” Osada. It’s unlikely Timko or anyone else will attempt to do that. However, I think there may be some support to create a similar low-income housing project somewhere else in the city.

What would you do to help Cedar Rapids’ low-income, poor or homeless people find an affordable place to live? What do you think about the developer’s idea to convert Osada into condos? Should the city pay for improvements to the surrounding area? E-mail your answers/thoughts to me. I’ll post some of them here in an upcoming blog entry.