Bill Shea
The council members unanimously endorsed an application for a $7.63 million federal grant that would pay much of the cost of the facility planned for First Avenue South between the Warden Plaza and a planned new cultural and recreation center.
Councilman Dave Flattery said the project, and the grant, are important for the future of Fort Dodge.
The cultural and recreation center, along with the apartments and stores planned for the Warden Plaza, would be amenities key to recruiting new workers to the area, he said.
“I strongly support this,” he said.
The application for the $7.63 million Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development — BUILD — grant is being submitted to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
City leaders will learn on Dec. 18 if the grant will be awarded.
The grant would pay part of the estimated $11.5 million cost of the intermodal hub. The rest of the money would come from a city bond issue that would be paid off with parking revenues generated at the facility.
Mayor Matt Bemrich has described the facility as the “glue” that would connect the Warden Plaza and the cultural and recreation center.
