Contact:
Joi Bergman
Communications Director
(319) 892-5118
joi.bergman@linncounty.org

Linn County Designates $2.48 Million in FEMA Alternate Project Funding

(CEDAR RAPIDS, IA – June 25, 2009)—The Linn County Board of Supervisors this week designated $2,482,163 in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as alternate project funding to help fund the renovation and expansion of the Administrative Office Building and to help build a proposed Juvenile Law Center. Seventy-five percent was designated to the Administrative Office Building and twenty-five percent was designated to the Juvenile Law Center. The Supervisors have been discussing a new Juvenile Law Center after the flood forced the juvenile court system out of the first floor of the County Courthouse. Flood mitigation plans do not allow for those offices to return to the first floor and there is no other space remaining in the Courthouse. The deadline to submit alternate projects to FEMA is June 27.

The alternate project funding comes from five other County-owned buildings that were damaged in the flood and will not be repaired. The buildings are:

• Freeway Lounge, 801 3rd St. SW
• Mott Building (warehouse), 42 7th Ave. SW
• O’Brien Building (Veteran Affairs and warehouse space), 825 3rd St. SW
• Witwer Building (Linn County Community Services and Juvenile Probation), 305 2nd Ave. SE
• Youth Shelter, 220 10th St. NW

Initial estimates show it will cost approximately $3 million - $4.5 million to build a 15,000 – 20,000 square-foot LEED-certified building and parking lot for the juvenile court system. The renovation and expansion of the Administrative Office Building will cost approximately $11.7 million, of which $2.2 million will be reimbursed by FEMA. To help fill the remaining gaps in funding these two projects, Linn County will submit applications to the I-JOBS grant program. I-JOBS is a State of Iowa infrastructure investment initiative designed to create jobs, strengthen the state’s economy, and rebuild critical areas of the state’s infrastructure.

“We are trying to maximize and leverage all available funding sources for these projects,” said Lu Barron, chairwoman of the Linn County Board of Supervisors.

The alternate project designations have some flexibility that would allow the County to ask FEMA permission to change the percentages designated to either project at a later date pending the outcome of the I-JOBS funding request.

Linn County will use FEMA funding and a $5 million grant from I-JOBS to construct a building that will house Linn County Community Services and Options of Linn County. The I-JOBS board will make its official decision on this grant at its meeting Monday in Cedar Rapids. The County is working with FEMA to get approval for a location outside the flood plain.

The Linn County youth shelter is temporarily operating at the detention center. Earlier this month, the Board of Supervisors agreed to have a committee explore the future of the youth shelter program over the next 12 months and make recommendations on what population should be served, what services should be provided and where services should be located.

###