Officials with Enhance Iowa have announced they awarded $1,264-million in Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grants at their meeting Wednesday, in Waverly. Among the CAT Grant funds approved, was the full amount of $175,000 requested from the City of Atlantic’s Parks and Rec Department for the Schildberg Recreation Area and Campground Development. The $992, 179 total cost of the  project includes the addition of sewage hookups to the 20-pad campground, a bathhouse, picnic shelters, fishing pier, playgrounds and boat dock. An additional $100,000 from the City of Atlantic and $25,000 from the County, along with numerous other private donations and in-kind work, will help to pay for the project.

In Madison County, the  Bricker-Price Block Project in Earlham received $189,000 out of a requested $222,070, for the complete historic renovation of the building into a modern, community gathering space to provide opportunities for community education, culinary exploration, celebrations and more. The rear of the building will be a dedicated teen space. The total project cost amounts to $888,277.

Elsewhere, the Kalona Community Center, Kalona received a $500,000 CAT grant for the construction of a $5.3-million state-of-the-art recreational facility with three basketball courts, an elevated walking track, dedicated fitness and dance room, as well as new weight and exercise equipment. And, in Ft. Dodge, the  Fort Dodge and Webster County Trail Plan – Phase II, received $400,000 toward a $2.1-million project that includes the construction of more than four miles of new trails that will establish a circular loop of trails around the community.

The Enhance Iowa Program provides financial incentives to communities for the construction of recreational, cultural, educational or entertainment facilities that enhance the quality of life in Iowa. To date, thirteen CAT awards have been granted by the board, totaling $4,432,481. The next Enhance Iowa Board meeting is scheduled for May 10, 2017, in Des Moines.