The Holiday Market at Robert A. Lee Recreation Center scheduled for Saturday has been canceled, the Iowa City Department of Parks and Recreation announced Friday morning. The cancellation came after the National Weather Service issued an ice storm warning for several eastern Iowa counties, including Johnson County. The ice storm warning runs from midnight to […]
Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center
Posted inCommunity/News
This Iowa City house party will feature a mini-drone, robotic cars and DIY mechanical bees — all to spark kids’ interest in STEAM
Mini-drones, programmable robots and small cars will cruise around the Science and Technology House Party this Sunday at the Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center. The free event is hosted by the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department to showcase its newest technology and promote the fall and winter STEAM programming. “Something I care a […]
Posted inLetters
Letter to the editor: Save the Robert A. Lee Pool, Iowa City
Dear members of the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Commission and City Council, We write to express our concern that the proposed Robert A. Lee (RAL) pool closure will leave Iowa Citians, regardless of age, physical ability, mode of transportation, socio-economic status, or health/wellness needs, without an accessible and reasonable option for aquatic activities. Having […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City pools: City Park is seeping, rec center swimmers fight likely closure and Mercer may be heating up
The Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department has recommended closing the 58-year-old pool at Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center, and instead adding a warm water pool at Mercer Park Aquatic Center and Scanlon Gym, as part of its Gather Here Recreation Master Plan. The plan also includes a redesign of City Park pool, introducing […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City Parks and Rec weighs possibility of closing one pool and expanding another
The 58-year-old pool at Robert A. Lee Recreation Center may be permanently closed under the Recreation Facilities and Programs Master Plan. The Iowa City Parks and Recreation department has been working on the master plan for the past year and has held events and surveys to gather public input. The department will present their recommendations […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Local Foods Roundtable will focus on the stories we tell ourselves about farmers, food and dieting
“If I say the word ‘farmer,’ what do you see? Is it a white man in overalls on top of a tractor?” asked Johnson County Local Foods Coordinator Ilsa DeWald. In reality, farms have many diverse people that work together, she said. But sometimes we leave those elements out of the story. These narratives shape […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City adds more glass recycling drop-off locations
Iowa City has added three new glass recycling drop-off locations, including one not actually in Iowa City. The new glass recycling containers can be found in parking lots of Upper City Park and the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, as well as the Coralville Drop-Off Recycling Center at 950 Hughes St. Just like the recently […]
Posted inCommunity/News
What’s next for Iowa City’s aging recreation facilities?
The City Park Pool is reaching its 73rd season. The Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center is now 58 years old, and the Mercer Park Aquatic Center is 34. Iowa City’s recreation facilities are getting old. Since last fall, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department has hosted a series of in-person listening events, community focus […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The Robert A. Lee Recreation Center is the cultural nexus of Iowa City, but not all are welcome equally
The Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center, an unimpressive building that looms small in the shadow of The Chauncey, is nevertheless a nexus for the true cultural geography of Iowa City. A relic of mid-century municipal architecture — something of a rarity in Iowa City — it took nearly a decade to realize after a […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City cancels Fourth of July fireworks, closes City Park Pool for the season
Iowa City is canceling its annual Fourth of July fireworks display due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The decision comes in collaboration with the Summer of the Arts, whose annual Iowa City Jazz Festival is held in unison with the City’s fireworks display,” the city said in a statement on Friday. Summer of the Arts has […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Saturday night roller skating returns to Robert A. Lee Recreation Center
Roller skating returns to Robert A. Lee Recreation Center on Saturday night. You don’t even need to own a pair of skates to participate.
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City announces warming centers for extreme cold weather (Updated)
The lobby of the Iowa City Public Library will open at 8 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, to provide a warm shelter during the extreme cold temperature, the City of Iowa City announced Tuesday afternoon. Coffee and hot cocoa will be available in the lobby, and the library has mittens, hats and scraves for those who need them. The library itself will be open its normal operating hours, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
