FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2021 | IN THIS ISSUE
• Biden infrastructure plan could bring Amtrak line to IC
• Marion Chamber is on the move with new Main Street site
• Cedar Rapids to host 2023 Small Markets Meeting event
• Iowa lawmakers 'soften' controversial biofuels mandate
• CBJ Editorial: A big loss with Toyota Financial Services
• Corridor events, KCRG-TV9 headlines and First Alert Forecast
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Biden infrastructure plan could bring Amtrak line to IC |
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Long-time train enthusiast President Joe Biden has unveiled details of his more than $2 trillion infrastructure bill - and it includes $80 million in new passenger rail funding that could bring an Amtrak line connecting Chicago and Iowa City.
Under the president's plan "Amtrak will create jobs and improve equity across the country, and we are ready to deliver," the rail service tweeted after details of the plan were announced. "America needs a rail network that offers frequent, reliable, sustainable and equitable train service. Now is our time, let’s make rail the solution."
Amtrak's 2035 vision released Thursday includes details of how it would use the funding, including serving up to 160 more communities, adding more than 30 new routes and making more frequent trips on existing routes. The plan, would connect towns in every state in the lower-48 to passenger rail service, with the exception of South Dakota.
In a speech Wednesday in Pittsburgh, Mr. Biden, who earned the nickname "Amtrak Joe" for his daily train commute between Wilmington, Delaware and Washington, D.C. as a senator, talked about the need to upgrade the nation's rail system.
"The American Jobs Plan will build new rail corridors and transit lines, easing congestion, cutting pollution, slashing commute times, and opening up investment in communities that can be connected to the cities, and cities to the outskirts, where a lot of jobs are these days," the president said of his plan, which also invests in roads, bridges, airports, broadband, electric vehicles and job training programs.
Visiting a factory in Atlantic yesterday, Sen. Chuck Grassley told a local paper he believes the infrastructure proposal will lead to a bill being passed, but said much depends on "how they want to pay for it." Republican legislators and business groups have come out against one funding mechanism that would involve higher corporate taxes over 15 years.
Hopes for a bipartisan bill were dimmed yesterday when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed the plan “is not going to get support from our side.”
Nevertheless, Iowa City to Chicago passenger rail has been a longtime dream for some - one that came close to reality a decade ago when an Iowa coalition led by then-Gov. Chet Culver and Illinois officials were awarded a $230 million federal grant for the project. That dream died when Mr. Culver was succeeded by Terry Branstad and the Iowa Legislature repeatedly voted against approving funds to subsidize the Iowa City train service.
IMAGE: Proposed expansion of Amtrak service in Iowa and surrounding states. New routes are marked in light blue. CREDIT AMTRAK
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Marion Chamber is on the move with new Main Street site |
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The Marion Chamber of Commerce has announced plans to relocate this spring in a move that will further the organization’s mission and create a visible presence in the historic Main Street District.
“It’s no secret that Marion is growing - our population, business community and our economic development organizations are growing too,” said Chamber President Jill Ackerman, in a release. “This move positions the chamber to better serve our membership and prepare for future growth.”
The Marion Chamber has been to co-located with the City of Marion and Marion Economic Development Corporation (MEDCO) in City Hall since 2006. Prior to that, it was located on 11th Street.
The new space is located at 1070 Seventh Ave. in the historic Lillis & Wilson building. It will allow the chamber to move forward with tourism initiatives outlined in the strategic plan. With the opening of Prospect Meadows two years ago, the Marion Chamber has added tourism functions to its program of work. The new location will open with a concierge center to welcome the thousands of visitors now at Marion’s doorstep, as well as provide information for residents.
The space will provide other new opportunities, including:
- 2,800 square feet with space for a front facing visitor center
- A 25-person conference space and an 8-10 person conference room for hosting chamber meetings and programs (the space will also be available to our members)
- A business hospitality area where members can stop in for a cup of coffee between meetings, or meet a client for a quick catch-up
- The space is geographically close to where we host the majority of our Platinum Community Partner events making event logistics efficient
- Will give added visibility to Uptown Marion-An Iowa Main Street District which has assisted with $27 million in redevelopment and renovation projects in the district
Collaborating with the City of Marion, MEDCO, and other area economic development partners will remain a high priority. The Marion Chamber expects to be fully moved in to the new location by June.
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Cedar Rapids to host 2023 Small Market Meetings event |
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Cedar Rapids will play host to the 2023 Small Market Meetings Conference annual meeting, conference officials announced Thursday.
Small Market Meetings showcases the midsize cities of North America to meeting, conference and convention planners to create destination awareness in planning future events.
As host, Cedar Rapids will welcome up to 300 delegates of the Small Market Meeting Conference from Sept. 27-29, 2023. The meeting planner delegates attending Small Market Meetings Conference are expected to come from 20 states across the country to explore the city.
Conference officials said Cedar Rapids will have an opening to showcase its hospitality community to event planners seeking to book future meetings, conferences and conventions. The conference will utilize the Alliant Energy PowerHouse Convention Complex and the Doubletree by Hilton Cedar Rapids.
“This is a first for Cedar Rapids. We have never had the opportunity to host this many convention and meeting planners,” said Michael Silva, executive director of VenuWorks of Cedar Rapids/Cedar Rapids Tourism Office, in a release. “We look forward to sharing first-hand how well conferences and meetings work in our community.”
Small Market Meetings Conference was brought to Cedar Rapids through the efforts of the Cedar Rapids Tourism Office, and is in good company with past annual conferences located in cities such as Little Rock, Arkansas: Jacksonville, Florida; Mesa, Arizona and Ontario, Canada. Small Market Meetings' 2023 event will mark the 14th annual gathering of the organization.
“Cedar Rapids is a vibrant city that welcomes visitors with great hospitality and offers top notch space to hold meetings,” said Charlie Presley, president of Small Market Meetings Conference. “Our meeting planners will discover a hidden gem of a destination when they experience Cedar Rapids.”
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Iowa lawmakers 'soften' controversial biofuels mandate |
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Fuel retailers rallied against Ms. Reynolds’ initial proposal, arguing that making the changes required under the bill could cost gas stations up to $1 billion in upgrades. CEO Ronald Langston of FUELIowa said his group was not consulted for the legislation, whereas agricultural groups had more sway.
“We don’t tell them what kind of corn and soybeans to plant,” Mr. Langston said of the agricultural interests pushing the bill. “Yet, in our case they are telling us what kind of fuel we will sell and how we are going to label our pumps.”
The legislation, House Study Bill 185, focuses on biofuels: ethanol, made of corn, and biodiesel, made of soybeans. Iowa is the nation’s top provider of both corn and ethanol, but much of Iowa’s ethanol is sold out of state.
The House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday moved an amendment to the bill that strikes the entirety of Reynolds’s bill in favor of a 37-page proposal that softens some of the governor’s initial expectations.
Rep. Lee Hein, chair of the Ways and Means Committee, said the committee worked with interest groups, the Senate and the governor’s office to compile the amendment.
“This addresses a lot of the issues that different parties have brought,” Mr. Hein, R-Monticello, said.
The amendment would still require fuel retailers to phase out gasoline and prioritize biofuels. Immediately on the passage of the bill, gas pumps would be required to have a “special-use label” for fuel without ethanol, known as E-0. By 2028, E-10 gas — that’s gasoline with 10% ethanol — would also require a special-use label, and all gas stations that sell E-0 would also need to offer E-15, a 15% ethanol blend.
Under the governor’s proposal, gas stations would be allowed to offer no-biofuel gas from just one pump. The amendment would allow fuel retailers to offer E-0 from any number of pumps.
The amended bill would also require diesel retailers to transition toward biofuels. The bill would immediately mandate gas stations to sell diesel with at least 11% biodiesel — B11 — from April to November. In the winter, there would be no mandatory minimum for biodiesel.
The amendment also lays out requirements for state vehicles to be biofuel-compatible and reporting schedules to track the progress of biofuel adoption. There would also be new tax credits for retailers that sell biofuels and incentives for building infrastructure that can handle up to E-85 and B-20 fuels.
The bill moves to the full House for consideration. A companion bill has not yet passed the Senate.
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CBJ Editorial: A big loss with Toyota Financial Services
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It was reported earlier this month that Cedar Rapids was one of the happiest cities in the country. The community will need to rely on its sunny disposition now that Toyota Financial Services will be closing its Cedar Rapids location, eliminating 600 local jobs.
This is a major economic setback to Cedar Rapids and the entire Corridor region, coming on the heels of the early shutdown of the Duane Arnold Energy Center. Iowa’s only nuclear power plant located in Palo will lose most of its 500 well-paid employees over the next several years.
Vincent Bray, senior manager of corporate communications for Toyota Financial Services, said in a statement that TFS is relocating three regional customer service centers, including the Cedar Rapids center, to regional dealer service centers in Chandler, Arizona, Plano, Texas and Alpharetta, Georgia. The consolidation of offices will occur over the next two years and every employee “in good standing” will be offered a role at one of the other customer service centers.
Toyota began financial operations in Cedar Rapids in 1991, opening a Toyota Motor Insurance Services office with just 18 employees, and has grown to become one of our region’s largest employers, with excellent compensation and benefit packages.
With low unemployment and a reignited economy, we’re hopeful these 600 Toyota employees will be able to remain in the region and get jobs at other financially-focused local companies like GreatAmerica and MediRevv.
The Corridor region has continued to grow because of entrepreneurial startups and homegrown businesses such as UFG, CRST, Lil’ Drug Store, Raining Rose and EcoLips, which should remain our economic development priority. But our region has struggled with national corporate maneuvers, save for BAE Systems’ significant investment in a new Cedar Rapids facility and the retention of 700 employees after purchasing the military GPS business from Collins Aerospace.
Aegon moved its headquarters to Baltimore. Rockwell Collins was sold to United Technologies and is now Collins Aerospace based in North Carolina, which is part of Raytheon Technologies based in Massachusetts. And Alliant Energy seems to be continuing to move its corporate influence away from Cedar Rapids and toward its headquarters in Madison.
“There’s always a great need to continually be focused on job creation in our community,” said Doug Neumann, executive director of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance. “And this unfortunate decision reinforces the importance of having businesses headquartered here where key decisions are made.”
The Toyota closure is part of a troubling movement and should have our economic development officials and state leaders examining why this is happening. Is the economic climate in Texas and, possibly Georgia, that much better than Iowa? Regardless, we’re hopeful our region’s entrepreneurial spirit and Cedar Rapids’ positive attitude will help us get over this current economic challenge.
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Short Term Event Planner
April 6
Washington Job Fair, by Washington Chamber of Commerce, 8 a.m.-noon, Washington County YMCA, 520 W. Fifth St., Washington, Iowa. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about job opportunities from more than 20 local businesses. Free. For more information, visit bit.ly/39tSBUa.
April 7
1 Million Cups, by 1MC Cedar Rapids, 8:30 a.m., online. Join for community connections and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more. Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MCICR.
1 Million Cups, by 1MC Iowa City, 9 a.m., online. Join for community connections and presentations by entrepreneurs, established companies, experts and more. Free. For more information, visit facebook.com/1MillionCupsIC.
How to Share Your Brand Story Using Social Media, by Hills Bank Business Academy, 10 a.m., online. Brook Easton, of Easton Design, will help you define your brand narrative, show you practical techniques to share your brand narrative on social media and share best practices for social media marketing. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/3elEOlN.
Back to the Future: Manufacturing 4.0, Iowa’s Roadmap for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, by Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, noon-1 p.m., online. Learn about the State of Iowa's Manufacturing 4.0 plan, a comprehensive roadmap to help Iowa manufacturers remain globally competitive through what has been termed a "fourth industrial revolution" that emphasizes automation and smart technology. Free. To register, visit bit.ly/31dcASt.
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These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
In an email KCRG-TV9′s I9 investigative team received through a public records request, Linn County Public Health begs and pleads with the governor’s office to give local public health departments more say in how vaccines are allocated to make decisions regarding the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine. The email, which is three pages directed to officials at the Iowa Department of Public Health and the governor’s office, strongly criticizes the state’s handling of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Iowa gave 3,200 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to Hy-Vee to give to employees at Collins Aerospace in Cedar Rapids, while, Linn County Public Health wants those doses to go to harder-to-reach populations, like people who are homeless. On Wednesday, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced the state would work with colleges and universities to give them Johnson & Johnson doses. Tricia Kitzmann, who is the community health division manager for Linn County Public Health, said in the email that it is clear the governor’s office does not trust local public health offices. “It is becoming increasingly clear that the governor’s office does not trust local public health to identify and serve individuals in our community who are the most vulnerable,” she said. "This includes persons who experience homelessness, substance abuse, mental health issues, barriers to accessing healthcare, or are from minority, refugee, immigrant or low-income families. I am struggling to understand why will the governor’s office not listen to those that know their communities best and work with us to identify the best strategies to vaccinate our community, both manufacturing, businesses, higher education, and the most vulnerable and susceptible to barriers to accessing vaccine and experience social determinates of health.” Read the full story here.
Opening Day in Major League Baseball finally arrived Thursday, and Scott Wilson, the general manager of the Cedar Rapids Kernels, barely caught any of it. “We have some things that we’re still trying to get done around here,” Wilson said. “Thankfully Mother Nature’s going to start participating, and it’s going to be really busy around here for the next 30 days.” First pitch for the 2021 season is slated for May 4. Posters still hang outside Veterans Memorial Stadium, advertising promotions that never happened in 2020, when all minor-league games were canceled, including the Kernels’. Beyond the outfield fence, damage from the Aug. 10 derecho still needs to be fixed. “The ribbon board doesn’t exist in right field there. The light pole that would be standing right next to the scoreboard is not there. All of that stuff next week comes in,” Wilson said, adding all repairs are supposed to be complete by late April. The Kernels haven’t played a game since September 2019, and 2020 brought no fans but lots of questions as Minor League Baseball cut teams. Burlington and Clinton’s teams now play in amateur leagues for college players. “We never thought that when you sat down, you were like, ‘I’m going to probably need to find another job at some point.’ And there was that point last summer, when we were going through that, saying, ‘What’s that look like? How do we keep baseball in Cedar Rapids?’” Wilson said. Read the full story here.
These news items are provided by KCRG-TV9
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Your KCRG-TV9 First Alert Forecast |
Gusty winds continue this afternoon, where wind gusts could be as high as 40mph from the south. This could make driving on east-west roadways difficult at times, especially for high-profile vehicles. Highs this afternoon will be in the upper 50s, low 60s. Clear skies overnight, but temperatures only fall into the low 40s. Then comes the fantastic weather for Easter weekend. Highs in the low to mid-70s both Saturday and Sunday with plenty of sunshine. Winds may be gusty at times on Sunday. |
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