February 14 2007 the metro Rotary clubs gathered at our 2005 Project: Cedar Lake Centennial Park! We welcomed Rotary President Bill Boyd from New Zealand, to show off our 2005 "Centennial Project" honoring the founding year of Rotary International. All Metro Rotary Clubs joined to raise funds and build the project. The centennial naming was for the 2005 100th Anniversary of Rotary! Cedar Rapids, Marion Ely, Rotary Centennial Project October 6th 2005 – the Cedar Rapids/Marion Area Rotary Clubs celebrated the finish of their combined Rotary International Centennial Project. The trail around Cedar Lake received some needed improvements. Cedar Lake is the hub of the Metro Area Trails and is located in Downtown Cedar Rapids. The seven local clubs raised over $87,000 and secured a matching grant from the Hall-Perrine Foundation of Cedar Rapids and an additional $12,500 of grant monies from organizations such as Trees Forever. This allowed the clubs to install: ***3 picnic shelters w/ bike racks ***3 viewing scopes and identification signs ***2 kiosks at the south and north entrance to the trail loop ***5 rest benches w/ bike racks ***many landscape additions and upgrades ***and these improvements are handicap accessible Along with these improvements a “Rotary Wheel Walk of Fame” was installed. Engraved bricks were purchased and installed to mirror the Rotary Wheel – the bricks helped raise additional funds for the project which allowed Rotarians to gift the City of Cedar Rapids an endowment for maintenance so no city funds would be used and to purchase a blower for the city riding mower to maintain the paved trail year around. Rotarians united together to support this project with financial contributions and lots of hard work to make The Cedar Lake Improvement Project provide an immediate and lasting impact on their community. |