|
Harkin aide tours grant sites
by Gregory R. Norfleet · News · July 11, 2014
This year, U.S. Senator Tom Harkin will end 37 years in office — the first 10 in the U.S. House of Representatives — and he and staff want to review some of the ways the state benefited from his efforts.
Harkin aide Jessica Border visited West Branch on July 1 to meet with members of Main Street West Branch in the Brick Arch Winery, one of three recipients of grants highlighted by Border’s visit, and tour the Heritage Museum, a second such recipient.
As part of the visit, Border presented an embossed copy of Harkin’s comments regarding how Cedar County benefited from various grants, mentioning West Branch projects as well:
• $42,000 for the Hoover House in 2007 to refurbish the first and second floors to accommodate residential and business needs
• $100,000 to turn the 1907 Postal Office Building into a wine-tasting room. However, when the building collapsed in June 2010, the grant designated for historic buildings was lost.
• $30,000 for the Heritage Foundation to repair the former Gruwell & Crew General Store, which now houses the Heritage Museum.
“Of course, one of my favorite memories of working together is the tremendous success that the town of West Branch has had in obtaining Main Street Iowa funding for building improvements,” Harkin stated in the Congressional record of the 113th congress. “I look forward to hearing about how these funds have helped the community.”
Border opened a laptop to show a video of Harkin reading his Congressional record comments, where he adds that “This (Main Street) program has allowed towns like West Branch to use that money to leverage other investments to jumpstart change and renewal.”
During the “In the Footsteps of History” stop, Border walked across Main Street with the group as Heritage Foundation and MSWB member Lou Picek showed her the refurbished Heritage Museum.
Picek pointed out the new windows and air conditioning system in the former harness-and-leather-goods store, then showed Border many of the items on display and a bit of what makes them significant.
“There’s a lot of history here,” he said.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
