Photo: Carroll Library Director, Rachel Van Erdewyk, and City Manager, Mike Pogge-Weaver, provide an update at the July 11 Enhance Iowa meeting
Next Wednesday, Aug. 8, several Carroll representatives will be traveling to the eastern side of the state for the Enhance Iowa Board of Directors meeting. One of the duties of this board is oversight of the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grant program. At their last meeting on July 11, board members told Carroll city staff, along with library supporters and those in opposition to the project, they would like to see community donations close a nearly $207,000 funding gap before they would vote to approve or deny the request for a more than $600,000 CAT grant. City Manager, Mike Pogge-Weaver, says that when the term “gap” was used, it did create a little bit of confusion, and some people may have incorrectly inferred that this meant the city would not be able to pay for the project.
Many members of the previous contingent may make the drive to Danville to present the results of the efforts to close that gap. An anonymous, out-of-town donor came forward last week and announced they would be willing to match any donations made, up to $150,000. That offer spurred some action within the community according to Pogge-Weaver, and those results, as well as new project cost estimates, will be presented to the board.
Pogge-Weaver says they have done everything the board has asked of them, and they are feeling very positive about the outcome next week. Carroll Broadcasting will be at that Enhance Iowa Board meeting and will bring you a live report after the board’s decision.
