Update: Rita’s Ranch Dog Park closure delayed until Thursday, Sept. 16, 2020

Thursday, September 10, 2020 - 1:30pm
Contact: 
Josh Slattery
Engineering

Update: The construction project that will close Rita's Ranch Dog Park has been delayed due to continued rain. The site will now close for a week starting Thursday, Sept. 16, 2020.

Weather permitting, beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, Rita’s Ranch Dog Park will be closed to the public.

The closure will facilitate the installation of storm sewer through the park. It is anticipated that the work will take about one week to be completed and the park will reopen on Friday, September 24, 2020.

Temporary fence will be installed to close off a portion of the park a...

S. Riverside Drive storm debris disposal site temporarily closed due to rain, site conditions

Thursday, September 10, 2020 - 11:45am
Resource Management

On August 14, the City opened a temporary disposal site for yard debris at the lot south of the Iowa City Transit facilities at 1200 S. Riverside Drive. Due to the conditions of the dumping area caused by continued rain, the site will be temporarily closed through Monday, Sept. 14.

Pending further precipitation, the South Riverside site will reopen 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 14, 2020 through Wednesday, Sept. 30. There are no size limitations or bundling requirements on limbs or branches.

Please note that the South Riverside disposal site is for Iowa City residential...

Council Listening Post graphic for Sept. 16, 2020.

Council Listening Posts to feature topics aimed at improving community policing

Thursday, September 10, 2020 - 8:45am
Contact: 
Kellie Fruehling
City Clerk

Members of the Iowa City City Council will hold a Listening Post at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, at Mercer Park, 2701 Bradford Drive. Council representatives who will be in attendance at the first event are Mayor Pro Tem Mazahir Salih, Councilor Laura Bergus, and Councilor Janice Weiner.

This event will serve as the first in a series of six planned to aid in the development of a plan to improve community policing. Each listening post will feature a different area of focus, and relevant service providers will be invited to contribute their insight and expertise to the...

Recycling drop-off site at 1201 N. Dodge moving to 1200 S. Riverside Drive effective September 21

Wednesday, September 9, 2020 - 11:15am
Contact: 
Jane Wilch
Landfill and Recycling Center

The recycling drop-off bins at 1201 North Dodge St. (former location of Hy-Vee) will be moving to City-owned property at 1200 South Riverside Dr.

Due to anticipated future uses for the current recycling center’s building and site, which is owned by Hy-Vee, the bins will be moved on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020. The North Dodge site will no longer accept recycling at that time.

Hy-Vee has hosted the City’s recycling bins at the North Dodge site for several decades, and the City appreciates the successful long-term partnership. Over the years, programs have expanded and bins were...

Police seek public's help in identifying person of interest in assault investigation

Tuesday, September 8, 2020 - 3:00pm
Contact: 
Gabe Cook
Communications

The Iowa City Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying a person of interest in an assault investigation. Detectives were able to obtain the image below taken from nearby video surveillance.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Gabe Cook at 319-356-5291.

A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Iowa City Area Crime Stoppers is also offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information about this incident that leads to an arrest. Crime Stoppers tips can be submitted via...

Volunteer Pilots Re-enact the Transcontinental Air Mail Route for the 100th Anniversary of Air Mail

Tuesday, September 8, 2020 - 12:15pm
Contact: 
Michael Tharp
Communications

Early in the morning of September 9, 1920, a US Airmail DH-4 biplane lifted off from this very airport, the oldest of a handful of the original Post Office airfields still in existence and operational. In one respect, there wasn’t anything particularly unusual about this event. Iowa City had been servicing Post Office airmail flights for some months now, refueling them as they flew both east and west between Omaha and Chicago.

What was different this morning is the mail it carried was not destined to be put on a train in Omaha, but be flown all the way to the West Coast: a first...

Video Update: Yard Sign Rules, Storm Debris Cleanup, and Building Trades

Monday, September 7, 2020 - 12:30pm
Contact: 
Jack Brooks
Communications

Iowa City Update is a weekly video featuring City of Iowa City projects, programs and events. Topics this week include rules for placing yard signs, options for unloading storm debris, and career opportunities in the building trades. Click the image below to watch Iowa City Update .

Iowa City Update: Yard Sign Rules Know the Rules for Placing Yard Signs

While yard signs are a great way to share...

When using yard signs, make sure to keep them out of the right of way

Friday, September 4, 2020 - 12:00pm
Contact: 
Stan Laverman
Communications

Whether it's for a garage sale, home rental, or political support, yard signs are a great way to share messages with neighbors. In Iowa City, residents must place these signs on their residential property. Be sure to follow these basic rules:

Signs must be on the resident's property – not within the right of way Signs on a corner lot cannot block the vision triangle of the street Public Right of Way

The strip of land between the street and sidewalk is called the public right of way and is technically City property. This area...

Police respond to reports of shots fired near Scott Boulevard and Washington Street Thursday night

Friday, September 4, 2020 - 11:30am
Communications

Shortly after 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3, the Iowa City Police Department, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, and University of Iowa Police Department, responded to the area of Scott Boulevard and Washington Street to investigate multiple reports of numerous shots fired. Responding officers were able to take one person into custody.

At least one unidentified black male fled the area to the east, armed with a handgun. A number of empty shell casings were recovered at the scene from two different handguns. Two occupied apartments received multiple bullet holes. An unoccupied car...

City Council approves independent review of June 3 protest incident; directs release of video from June 3

Thursday, September 3, 2020 - 4:30pm
Contact: 
Geoff Fruin
City Manager's Office

At their Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020 meeting, the Iowa City City Council authorized an independent review of the June 3 protest incident that took place near the Interstate 80 interchange at N. Dubuque Street. The review will be conducted by the OIR Group of Playa Del Rey, California, and is expected to be completed within 90 days of its start date.

On June 1 and 2, 2020, a subset of individuals participating in local protests displayed escalating behavior that resulted in property damage, including significant damage to the Iowa...

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