The Iowa Economic Development Authority has awarded $40,000 in grants to support growth in two rural towns and two counties: Imogene in southwest Iowa, Sibley in the northwest, Calhoun County in northwest Iowa, and northeastern Jackson County. The funding is from the Empower Rural Iowa Initiative’s Building Ownership & Organization by Strengthening Teams (BOOST) program. BOOST is intended to connect community and business leaders with guidance to develop growth plans and the grant funding helps those plans get started.
Each of the following projects will receive $10,000:
- Calhoun County: Calhoun County Economic Development will develop a marketing strategy to attract businesses to locate in the Calhoun County Business Park, particularly on a 13.2-acre shovel-ready site at the intersection of U.S. Highway 20 and Iowa Highway 4.
- Imogene (Fremont County): With a population of 39, the city wants to invest in professional design and engineering services to prioritize community needs, such as street repairs, a campground expansion, a bridge replacement and downtown building renovations to curb population decline.
- Jackson County: The Jackson County Economic Alliance reports that 72% of the county’s workforce is older than 55, and most are expected to retire within 15 years. To prepare, the alliance plans to survey the workforce needs of local businesses and industries and assist with creating succession plans for a smooth transition.
- Sibley (Osceola County): Sibley Housing and Development Corp. is eyeing a new residential development to address a significant housing shortage, which is hindering the city’s economic growth. The grant will pay for a site plan proposal and public awareness campaign.
BOOST projects must serve communities with 20,000 or fewer residents and not be adjacent to a city of more than 40,000. Countywide projects must be located in one of the state’s 88 least-populous counties. IEDA received six applications for this round of BOOST grants, which opened in January. Applicants, who are required to provide a financial match, were scored based on criteria that included economic need, partnerships, readiness and strategic goals.
The rural BOOST program is administered by the Center for Rural Revitalization, a division of the IEDA, in consultation with the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative Task Force…