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On May 12, 2010, Linn County held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Linn County Community Services / Options of Linn County building. The two-story 97,000 square foot facility will be built on 9.6 acres at 26th Ave. Ct. and 12th St. SW in Cedar Rapids (just south of Wilson Avenue). This building will bring several County departments and services together under one roof.
Prior to the flood, Linn County Community Services was located in the Witwer Building in downtown Cedar Rapids. LCCS provides financial management, administrative and planning services for its human service departments. Linn County Community Services also organizes and participates in many community human services activities and collaboratives. LCCS departments that will be located in this new building include:
- The Aging and Disability Resource Center
- Home Health
- General Assistance
- Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
The former Options of Linn County building was more than 50 percent damaged by the flood and FEMA approved a relocation of the services. Options works with community businesses to provide employment services to more than 350 adults with disabilities annually.
Other Linn County departments that will be located in the building include:
- Linn County Veteran Affairs
- Linn County Information Technology
The total cost of the project is $14.6 million. The building will be built with funding from FEMA and I-JOBS. The building will meet Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification standards, a certification program that encourages green and sustainable building practices. It will reduce the lifetime operational cost and greatly improve energy efficiency.
Even though this building will be located on a hill well outside of the flood plain, Linn County will be required to carry flood insurance on the building because FEMA dollars will be spent on its construction.
The building will be constructed under a project labor agreement approved by the Board of Supervisors. Construction began in June 2010 and should be complete in late summer 2011.
The former Options of Linn County building, located at 1019 7th St. SE will be demolished.
Total Cost: $14.6 million
Completion Date: Late summer 2011
LEED Certification: Silver
Architect: OPN Architects
General Contractor: Miron Construction
Square Footage: 97,000 sq. ft. (2-story)
Funding Source: FEMA, State of Iowa and I-JOBS
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