City’s permitting process a critical element to protester and public safety

Wednesday, August 26, 2020 - 1:30pm
Contact: 
Geoff Fruin
City Manager's Office

Following the incident involving a vehicle unlawfully driving through a demonstration on Friday, Aug. 21, the City of Iowa City reminds residents of the long-standing permitting process, which aims to protect the safety of participants and the public.

The City supports freedom of speech and understands that activism is an important element of a just society. In its role to maintain safety and provide public access to all, the City relies on a permitting process, to protect demonstrators and the general public by diverting traffic away from a designated protest area, providing...

An image of garbage truck is shown.

Final round of storm debris curbside pickup begins Monday, Aug. 31, 2020; residents urged to move tree debris to curb

Tuesday, August 25, 2020 - 4:00pm
Streets and traffic engineering

The final round of curbside pickup of large debris caused by the Aug. 10 derecho will begin on Monday, Aug. 31, 2020.

City crews are currently working with staff from Johnson County and the Iowa Department of Transportation to remove large debris left at the curbs of residents. This work requires the use of trucks, skid-loaders, and other large equipment.

It may be late September until the final round of storm debris clearing will be completed, as City crews will be slowed following the departure of partners from the county and state.

The focus of crews has been...

Assistance announced for Iowa WIC Families affected by severe weather

Tuesday, August 25, 2020 - 3:15pm
Communications

The Iowa Department of Public Health announced additional assistance for families who receive benefits from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) following the destruction of the August 10 derecho.

Families who already receive WIC benefits and are living in the 16 counties designated under the federal disaster declaration are eligible, including Johnson County. They can request to replace WIC foods purchased between the dates of August 1 and 10 and destroyed or spoiled as the result of storm damage or power outage may be replaced....

Crews are shown cleaning storm debris from the curb.

Storm cleanup update: Burlington St. (Summit to Muscatine) will be closed Wednesday morning, Aug. 26; Dodge & Governor Streets reduced to one lane

Tuesday, August 25, 2020 - 1:15pm
Transit

Burlington Street from Summit Street to Muscatine Avenue will be closed for about an hour starting at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2020, while City crews remove tree debris.

Following this work, crews will begin debris cleanup on Dodge and Governor streets. These one-way streets will remain open to traffic, but expect delays as crews work to clear debris and reduce traffic to one-way.

The closure will speed up the clearing process, and help keep crews safe.

Travelers should seek alternate routes during this time, and potentially expect travel delays in the area....

A new City of Iowa City bus is shown.

Towncrest route to detour due to storm damage cleanup effective Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Tuesday, August 25, 2020 - 11:30am
Contact: 
Curtis Brenton
Transit

Effective Tuesday, August 25, 2020, the inbound Towncrest route will detour due to storm damage cleanup operations closing Muscatine Avenue between William Street and Scott Boulevard. The detour route will use Village Road to Chamberlain Drive to Wellington Drive back to Village Road and will travel inbound using Wayne Avenue to Wade Street.

The bus stops located at Muscatine Avenue & Maplewood Lane (stop 7266), Muscatine Avenue at Autumn Park (stop 7267), Muscatine Avenue & Dover Street (stop 7268), and Muscatine Avenue & Arthur Street (stop 7269) will be out of...

City and Mayor join Supreme Court brief in support of non-discrimination protections

Monday, August 24, 2020 - 1:00pm

On Thursday, August 20, 2020, the City of Iowa City and Mayor Bruce Teague joined more than 160 other mayors, cities, and other local governments as well as the U.S. Conference of Mayors in asking the Supreme Court to rule in favor of upholding nondiscrimination requirements regulating government contractors and taxpayer-funded agencies.

The amicus (friend of the court) brief supports the City of Philadelphia in Fulton v Philadelphia. The case considers whether a foster care agency may override the city of Philadelphia's contractual nondiscrimination requirement and turn away LGBTQ...

Muscatine Ave. from Scott to William partially closed Tuesday, Aug. 25, for storm debris cleanup

Monday, August 24, 2020 - 12:30pm
Streets and traffic engineering

Muscatine Avenue from Scott Boulevard to William Street will be closed to thru traffic while City crews remove tree debris.

Work in the area should conclude by 4 p.m. Tuesday. This closure will speed up the clearing process, and help keep crews safe.

Travelers should seek alternate routes during this time. Residents will have access to their homes throughout this process.

Starting Monday, Aug. 31, 2020, City crews will begin their second round of storm debris removal throughout City streets. Expect further notices for street closures around Iowa City.

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Cars are seen parking in front of storm debris.

Parking temporarily banned on parts of College, Washington, Iowa, and Jefferson for storm debris removal

Monday, August 24, 2020 - 12:15pm
Streets and traffic engineering

Tow warning signs will be posted on four City streets so residents can remove their cars to facilitate cleanup of storm debris on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020.

The four streets scheduled for storm debris cleanup with temporarily prohibited parking are:

College Street, Washington Street, Iowa Avenue from Gilbert Street to Muscatine Avenue. Jefferson Avenue from Gilbert Street to Evans Street.

Only cars parked in front of debris will be removed.

Cars should be removed from streets before 7 a.m. to allow crews to completely clear the area...

Video Update: Tree Planting, Storm Recovery, and Police Chief Finalists

Monday, August 24, 2020 - 6:30am
Contact: 
Jack Brooks
Communications

Iowa City Update is a weekly video featuring City of Iowa City projects, programs and events. Topics this week include City efforts to plant more trees, clean-up options for storm debris, and a socially distanced meet and greet with the three finalists for Police Chief. Click the image below to watch.

Iowa City Update: Tree Planting Tree Planting

Watch to learn about tree planting efforts in the Mackinaw Village neighborhood, as well as how you can...

Parking temporarily banned for storm debris removal beginning Monday, Aug. 24 on Governor and Lucas streets

Friday, August 21, 2020 - 1:30pm
Streets and traffic engineering

Tow warning signs have been posted on two City streets so residents can remove their cars to facilitate cleanup of storm debris on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020.

The two streets scheduled for storm debris cleanup with temporarily prohibited parking are:

Lucas Street and Governor Street, both from Burlington to Bowery streets, on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020

Signs were posted on Lucas and Governor on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020.

Cars should be removed from streets before 7:30 a.m. to allow crews to completely clear the area of collected storm debris. Cars that are found parked on the...

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