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PLAY in Linn County Website Statement
Saturday, July 5, 2008
The June 2008 flood devastated significant portions of the Cedar Rapids metro area and Linn County. Our thoughts are first and foremost with those who have suffered loss. We grieve with those who have lost what they cherished most, whether homes, photo albums, pets, or the places where those memories happened. We understand the uncertainty of what lies ahead. In these dark times, the nation and the world are viewing one of our greatest strengths – our community pride as we pull together to begin the recovery process.
This goal of enhancing our community is what originally sparked the idea for a Community Life Center - to be a place for people of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds can gather to share life experiences, to embrace wellness and enjoy a variety of recreational activities. Prior to this devastation, the public showed overwhelming support for this project. Stakeholder meetings, a needs assessment survey and public open house sessions completed the Input Collection and Findings portion of the study. This has enabled our team to develop a Space Area Program, which in turn has provided us with the remaining criteria to move forward with the very important site selection. We are now prepared to present preliminary recommendations in the form of Conceptual Design Alternatives, which will be supported by construction costs and operational costs.
Understandably, our community’s focus right now is in assessing the damage and restoring the infrastructure to a type of normalcy present prior to this tragic event. Please stay tuned for the Open House process to be resumed in the near future, and thanks for your interest and involvement in this project.
PLAY in Linn County Launches Website
Monday, March 10, 2008
Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Planning Lifelong Activities for You in Linn County (PLAY in Linn County) officially launched the PLAY public website today. The website will serve as a resource for individuals and families of all ages throughout Linn County and surrounding communities. The website will allow visitors to gain insight and participate in the community initiative of developing a state-of-the-art community life center, one of the ideas included in the community’s Fifteen in 5 Community Planning Process. The website launch was celebrated by PLAY as the announcement came on the heels of the group’s first public input sessions scheduled for March 12 and 13 in Cedar Rapids.
Throughout the website, PLAY will provide information and updates about its core initiative of building a community life center in Linn County. Tom Saxen, Co-Chair of PLAY, hopes the website will bring attention to the need for such a facility in the area. “A community life center focusing on the recreational, indoor aquatic and social needs of all ages would be a great asset to our area. Look to Des Moines, Dubuque or Madison to discover enhanced quality of life features (and tourism) that is attractive to hiring/retaining workers.”
PLAY will utilize the website to be an interactive link with the public. The website’s resources address PLAY’s project timeline, a review of current facilities, planned facilities that are part of the group’s initiatives, articles pertaining to the need for a community life center, ways for the community to get involved, and a blog where the group will post ideas and garner public feedback.
The website, located at http://www.playinlinncounty.org/ was designed and developed by members of PLAY and through the efforts of volunteers.
About PLAY: Planning Lifelong Activities for You or PLAY is the Fifteen in 5 group charged with building a state-of-the-art, multi-component community center/recreation complex, one of the Fifteen in 5 community initiatives. PLAY has raised $120,000 for a feasibility study to help decide the life center’s location, whom it would serve, and how to fund construction and operation. About Fifteen in 5: The mission of the Fifteen in 5 Community Planning Process is to create a discussion about what kind of place we want our community to be. From education to employment, culture to recreation and beyond, the Fifteen in 5 plan will ask residents of Linn County – from all perspectives, beliefs and backgrounds – to identify what is important for the long-term success of our community and how we can make those dreams become a reality. As part of the Fifteen in 5 Community Planning Process, fifteen ideas for Linn County were unveiled on May 11, 2005 after more than 3,500 ideas were submitted by the public for consideration.
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