What To Do with Flood-damaged Cedar Rapids Library Location?
CEDAR RAPIDS — Fresh off a spellbinding deliberation and hairsplitting vote last week to build a new $45-million library across Fourth Avenue SE from Greene Square Park, the City Council now faces another question: What to do with the empty, flood-wrecked library on First Street SE? Both the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Greg Eyerly, the city’s flood-recovery director, reported this week that FEMA no longer will pay to control the temperature and humidity in the old library now that the council has picked a site on which to build a new library, construction on which will occur with FEMA’s financial help. In fact, FEMA spokeswoman Bettina Hutchings this week was clear about FEMA’s position on the old library. The city assumed responsibility for climate control on the building on Feb. 24, the night the council picked a site for the new library, she said. Eyerly said the monthly cost for climate control, which is powered by generators at this point, will cost what it has been co
