Sheldon, Iowa — Before the Sheldon City Council makes a decision on the building of a new Events Center in the new Community Park, they need to examine how much it will cost to operate that facility, see a final draft design proposal, and determine how it would be financed.
At last week’s meeting the Council approved a resolution of support for an application for a Vision Iowa Program Grant. The City will be asking for the grant to cover twenty-five percent of the estimated 5.3 million dollars in construction cost. The grant application was approved by a 4 to 1 vote with Council Member Randy Fonkert voting no. In addition, City Manager Scott Wynja reported that although the City has not begun a fund raising effort, they have received pledges totaling sixty thousand dollars for the project.
It was emphasized that the vote to approve the grant application was not a vote to build the Events Center. The Council has asked for a study to determine the expected cost to operate the facility. That information is expected to be available for council study sometime in October.
