A regional organization recently received a grant that will benefit a tourist route that runs through Greene County.

Prairie Rivers of Iowa received a $10,000 grant from the Union Pacific Railroad Community Ties Giving Program COVID-19 Relief Grant. Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway Coordinator Janice Gammon says the funds will be used to build ten interpretive panels in several communities along the Lincoln Highway, including one in Jefferson. The grant funds were allocated to address the community needs associated with the pandemic, including general operating support. 

Gammon tells Raccoon Valley Radio the panel in Jefferson will be located at the Eureka Bridge on the Raccoon River Valley Trail. She explains that once the panel is in place, visitors will be able to park safely off the roadway and view the panel along with the bridge, while also keeping socially distant from others during the pandemic. Gammon adds, there are currently 13 other designated panels in Greene County, including the Scranton water tower, the Deep Rock station in Jefferson, and the Grand Junction Lincoln Highway Garden, among others. 

The other communities that received grant funds from Union Pacific include Clinton, Belle Plaine, Marshalltown, Carroll, Denison and Woodbine.