(Red Oak) The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, in a joint effort with the city of Stanton to withdraw from the $850,000 Iowa Department of Economic Development Destination grant. On Monday, the Stanton City Council agreed to withdraw from their part of the grant.
During Tuesday’s Montgomery County Supervisors meeting, Stanton Community Economic Development Director Jenna Ramsey mentioned that in 2021, they applied for Destination Iowa Funds to finish the Stanton Trails Project. They planned to use the funding they had secured as a match to extend the trail from Stanton to Viking Lake State Park. In 2022, they were granted $850,000. Three grant-funded projects have been completed: Phase II trail, water-sewer extension, and electrical. Two projects, the technology infrastructure Park and trail Phase 1A, are either in progress or already completed. Trails 1B, Stanton Technology Park, and Viking Lake State Park Extension are the remaining projects.
Ramsey mentioned that as the pending projects continue, they will have spent approximately $1 million on the Stanton Trails project using various organization grants. She noted that as they continue to complete these projects, an additional $148,000 has been spent beyond the original grant amount to ensure the completion of the projects despite encountering some imperfections.
Ramsey noted that they encountered unexpected engineering problems during each project. The most recent issue involved a significant amount, but they had not submitted a change order before the supervisors’ meeting. So, it is unknown how long their plans are for the projects left, which are 1B, the Tech Park, and the trail out to Viking Lake State Park. The amount spent in the Federal Destination Iowa Grant ultimately did not fit the projects the way they thought. The Stanton Community Development asked to withdraw from this project before releasing funds before the deadline to avoid being locked in.
Montgomery County Supervisor Chair Mike Olson questioned Ramsey on whether this had to do with the engineering estimates.
Ramsey says they do not plan to give up and will consider other ways to complete the project.
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