The City of Grand Junction recently received good news when their community center project was awarded a grant from Vision Iowa fpr $220,000.

Steering Committee Member Diane Wise says they applied for $250,000 and the grant is contingent upon matching the final $30,000 within a 90-day time period.  The total cost of the project is $1,158,000 and she adds that the recent grant would put them over 75% funded for a new community center.

The old facility, which is located on Main Street, has been closed since this past August due to the building no longer being safe for public use.  Wise believes they can raise $30,000 by the Vision Iowa deadline because they’ve done an outstanding job of fundraising already.

Some of the other grants they’ve received were a Junction Hilltop Challenge grant of $300,000, a Greene County Community Foundation grant for $8,000 plus other businesses and individual donations.  Wise points out that not only is the facility needed for the entire county, but it will also help draw more people to their City.

“We’re going to develop a long-term plan for the redevelopment of Grand Junction and Main Street.  And that’s already taking place with other businesses that are doing remodeling and just trying to make the community more attractive to others.”

With the advent of a new convention center being built at Wild Rose Jefferson, Wise doesn’t see their community center being in competition with a bigger facility.  In fact, she believes they are targeting a different group of people that can use their building that maybe the convention center doesn’t offer.

The proposed building will be one-story with meeting rooms that can accommodate over 200 people, a working kitchen and office space for City Hall personnel to work out of.  Wise is hoping to start construction some time this spring.

To make a donation toward the project, you can make checks payable to Grand Junction Community Center, P.O. Box 383, Grand Junction Iowa, 50107.