Nov. 14, 2024 – The library hosted the official Westside Library Goundbreaking Ceremony on Friday, Oct. 18. The event was attended by over 100 community members. Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell, City Manager Jeff Pomeranz, Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers, Library Board President Monica Challenger, Library Director Dara Schmidt, and Library Foundation Director Charity Tyler spoke about the project. It was truly a celebration of the hard work to provide a library and park campus to enhance the westside of Cedar Rapids and improve the lives of residents. 

Most of the ground/dirt work has been completed to prepare the new site. This includes carving out a temporary version of Sandberg Lane, a new road which will include the entrance to the new library, and the main parking lot. Contractors started to excavate the basement of the new building, which will house the geothermal equipment. 

In addition, construction crews will prepare footings for the structural steel to be installed. Over the winter, the building’s structure will be constructed. More work will continue in spring as the weather warms up. 

We look forward to sharing updates about the project as it continues. Look for monthly updates in our email newsletter as well as here on our website. 

Learn more about the Westside Library project here.