Marshall County’s (Iowa) top recreation areas are set to undergo major improvements with the assistance of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) following the board of supervisors’ green light at their regular meeting on Tuesday morning.
Marshall County Conservation Board Director Mike Stegmann told the supervisors that the two projects in question, including the construction of a campground and a shower house in Green Castle and an expansion at Sand Lake, had been canceled due to insufficient funds.
The Green Castle project, in particular, has been debated for more than a decade and is currently estimated at $678,000 with plans to construct the “inclusive, full modern amenity campground” in various phases that will include 60 campsites as well as electricity, water, and sewer facilities for recreational vehicles.
The conservation board acquired the land, which became Green Castle, located just to the south of Ferguson, in 1977 and has since grown into one of the top places for both local outdoor fans and tourists from nearby counties.
“The conservation part here, to me, is going to allow a lot of people to use it, and I think that’s something we need to think about too. This is something people are going to be able to use, [and] I think that’s important,” Supervisor Bill Patten said.
The Sand Lake expansion, which involves acquiring 98 adjacent acres from siblings Don Howard and Karen Brady after Martin-Marietta’s mining operations halt, would benefit $240,000 in ARPA funding to cover the purchase.
Stegmann explained that the park, located east of Marshalltown along Main Street Road, has been growing in popularity over the past few years.
The third plan is to renovate the suspension bridge in Three Bridges Park, estimated to cost $245,000. The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) will cover 75 percent of the costs and $60,000 of ARPA funds for the remainder.
Supervisor Steve Salasek expressed reservations about the Green Castle project due to its cost and asked the board to have more time to look into the project.
“Steve, I can share your sticker price shock on the restroom facilities. That’s the going rate,” Stegmann said. “It’s nothing new. You’re not going to get it any cheaper.”
In the end, the board unanimously approved several ARPA expenses totaling $1,976,500. In addition to the previously mentioned projects, this includes indexing and scanning real estate books ($498,500) and the total amount of $500,000 for two distinct 911 communications projects.
Before the vote, Board Chairman Dave Thompson shared his support for the conservation efforts to see them be a catalyst for new developments in the future.
“I think this was a good thing. This project has been something we’ve been working on for a long, long time, and I think it’ll be a tremendous start and kickstart,” he said.
“Hopefully, it will lead to the second and third-tier getting done with the funds going back into it from any other revenue stream. The fishing, the hunting, the family activities that surround all of these, I think, are immense for quality of life issues, without question.” Thompson ended.