An open house celebration will be held on Saturday, April 30th to celebrate the City of Bronson’s new city hall and community center building.
USDA Rural Development assisted with the building project by providing a $158,000 Rural Economic Development Grant to Woodbury County Rural Electric Cooperative. The cooperative used the grant to establish a revolving loan fund with this city hall and community center project being the first usage of the funds. Total costs for the project is estimated to be around $360,000.
“We are pleased to be assisting with this important project for the residents of Bronson and surrounding areas,” said Bill Menner, USDA Rural Development State Director in Iowa. “Community buildings such as this one are the heartbeat of the community where people from in and around the community come for services, community activities and regular fellowship.”
The old city hall building, which was previously home to a grain business, was more than 50 years old and too small for community meetings.
The new building will be 4,200 square-feet and be the new home for community services offered by the City of Bronson, Floyd Township, Bronson Volunteer Fire Department and Bronson ambulance volunteers.
It will be used for city council meetings, fire meetings, as well as for various community organizations and activities such as exercise and wellness classes, hunter safety classes and a voting precinct location. It will also be a satellite library for the county and offer public computer space and internet access.
“Keeping rural Iowa vibrant and prosperous requires a dedication to innovation, education and infrastructure,” Menner added. “Loans and grants from USDA Rural Development play a vital role in our rural communities’ efforts to grow and thrive.”
USDA Rural Development’s funding continues to have a dramatic impact on rural communities across Iowa. Since 2009, USDA Rural Development has invested more than $4 billion on essential public facilities, small and emerging businesses, water and sewer systems, and housing opportunities for Iowa families.
USDA Rural Development can help rural communities and regions grow and prosper by offering a variety of financial and technical assistance programs that encourage the development of strong community and economic development strategies.
This past year USDA Rural Development’s investment in Iowa helped create or retain more than 1,000 jobs, aided 2,400 families in buying their own homes and assisted more than 60 communities as they made improvements to their facilities, services and infrastructure.
Contact USDA Rural Development
Residents, businesses and communities in Cherokee, Crawford, Ida, Lyon, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux and Woodbury Counties are served by the USDA Rural Development office in Le Mars. For more information please call (712) 546-5149 ext. 4 or visit www.rd.usda.gov/ia.
USDA Rural Development has 11 offices across the state to serve the 1.7 million Iowans living in rural communities. Office locations include a State Office in Des Moines, along with Area Offices in Albia, Atlantic, Humboldt, Indianola, Iowa Falls, Le Mars, Mount Pleasant, Storm Lake, Tipton and Waverly.
President Obama’s plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President’s leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way - strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities.