LINN COUNTY UPDATE

February 2015

Supervisors Houser and Rogers meet with legislators

Linn County Supervisors Jim Houser and Ben Rogers met with Linn County legislators at the state capitol in Des Moines on Feb. 4 to discuss legislative priorities of Linn County and other Urban County Coalition members. This year’s priorities include infrastructure funding, mental health funding, and unfunded mandates. The Urban County Coalition is a partnership among Linn, Black Hawk, Johnson, and Scott counties organized to jointly develop, communicate, and advocate for issues of mutual interest.

Supervisor Rogers to hold listening post Feb. 28

Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers will hold a listening post Saturday, Feb. 28 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Edgewood Rd. Road Hy-Vee (dining area), 5050 Edgewood Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids. Members of the public are encouraged to stop by anytime during the two hours to discuss topics of importance to them. The meeting is open to all Linn County residents. Rogers is the District 3 supervisor.

FY 2014 compliance report available on website

Linn County’s FY14 compliance report is now available on the Linn County website. The compliance report is completed annually by an independent auditing firm that audits Linn County’s financial statements and internal controls over financial reporting and compliance.

Covington Road south of Palo to close on March 2nd for IDOT construction project

Construction of the Covington Road bridge over Iowa Highway 100 will require closing Covington Road between Palo and Covington beginning Monday, March 2, until mid-November, weather permitting, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Manchester construction office. This road closure will allow construction crews to remove the roadway embankment and construct a bridge over Iowa 100 for the future Covington Road and Iowa 100 interchange. The Covington Road bridge over the abandoned railroad property will also be removed and replaced with a box culvert.

To minimize traffic impact, the Iowa DOT and contractor partnered to compress the bridge construction schedule to a single season. This scheduling was done to avoid having traffic detoured during the 2015-2016 winter. Read more…

Corridor Worksite Wellness Award winners announced

The winners of the Corridor Worksite Wellness awards were announced at the Corridor Business Journal’s annual HealthCare Summit on Feb. 13. A total of 38 worksites participated in this year’s awards ceremony, including 14 worksites that did not participate last year. Participating worksites were scored on the extent to which their efforts aligned with best practices in worksite wellness through an assessment. The winners have demonstrated a commitment to employee health and well-being. Read more…

Eric Silbaugh, of the Amana WVA Chapter, delivered a check for $830 to Deb Scott at the Linn County Office of Veteran Affairs.

Amana Whirlpool Veterans Association helps Linn County veterans

The Linn County Office of Veteran Affairs is the recipient of the generosity of the Amana Whirlpool Veterans Association (WVA). In November, Whirlpool gave each Amana employee a $15 voucher to purchase a turkey for Thanksgiving. Since many people travel for the holiday or can’t eat a whole turkey by themselves, the WVA team saw this as an opportunity to give back. The team set up drop-off locations for Whirlpool-Amana employees who wanted to donate their turkey vouchers to Veterans in need. Through the efforts of the WVA and the generosity of Whirlpool-Amana employees, a check for $830.00 was presented to the Linn County Office of Veteran Affairs in December 2014.

Linn County celebrates African American History Month with exhibit

In observance of African American History Month, the Linn County Diversity Committee is hosting the traveling exhibit, “No Roads Lead to Buxton” from the African American Museum of Iowa through Friday, Feb. 27 in the lower level of the Linn County Jean Oxley Public Service Center, 935 2nd Street SW in Cedar Rapids. Linn County employees and the public are welcome to view the exhibit between 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Read more…

Traveling exhibit from the African American Museum of Iowa on loan to Linn County until Feb. 27.

2014 Linn County Deputy of the Year

The Deputy of the Year award nomination selection committee has selected Deputy Troy Egli as the 2014 Linn County Deputy of the Year. The award recognizes a specific deputy sheriff, regardless of rank, who went above and beyond the call of duty serving the Sheriff’s Office and the citizens of Linn County during the preceding year. Deputy Egli is recognized as an effective, professional, and diligent deputy in the Jail division who has shown himself on numerous occasions to go above and beyond his job requirements to assist other deputies. Read more…

Radon: What you need to know to help protect your home & family

Radon is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that causes no immediate health symptoms, but long-term exposures may cause lung cancer. In Iowa, it is estimated 7 out of 10 homes have elevated radon levels. What can you do to help prevent falling victim to the effects of radon? Read more…

Members of the Early Childhood Iowa Board present bus passes to Linn County families at the Linn County Child Development Center in February.

Linn County Early Childhood Iowa board member donations help local families

The Linn County Early Childhood Iowa (ECI) Board is pleased to announce that funds donated by ECI board members during their 7th annual fundraiser were used to purchase 560 Cedar Rapids transit bus tickets for Linn County families and children. In February the ECI board presented bus tickets to families at the Linn County Child Development Center. For some families at the Center, riding the bus and walking are their only modes of transportation. Read more…

LINN COUNTY UPDATEFebruary 2015