Nearly two years ago to the day, we received news that Grinnell's application as an Iowa Reinvestment Act District was officially approved by the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Since receiving this news a number of people and projects have sprung into action. While large-scale projects can take an incredible amount of time to come to fruition, some exciting things are on the horizon, with a couple of them targeted for completion in the next few months!
The application included a number of projects: repurposing the Community Center into a Boutique Hotel & Event Center, a Central Park makeover, the final phase of downtown reconstruction, Grinnell College campus improvements, and new projects located in the 'Zone of Confluence' - part of the area between campus and community. Essentially, the Reinvestment Act allows state taxes collected over a period of time to be reinvested into these projects.
As with many ventures, there always seems to be a fair amount of skepticism, but I want to spend some time today providing an update on these projects. Firstly, Central Park is really coming together and is anticipated to be open by early fall! If you've not taken the time recently, I would encourage you to check it out: the stage and shelter areas are nearing completion, and the crew will soon begin work on the splash pad, final grading and seeding the area. Downtown street reconstruction is also on the 2017 calendar - crews are currently working on 5th Avenue between Park & State Streets, and once this portion is finished, will be moving to Broad Street between 5th & 6th Avenues with anticipated completion in November.
Hotel Grinnell, the downtown boutique hotel and event center, is anticipating opening in just 60 days (and is currently looking to hire nearly 50 employees)! Having begun construction just seven months ago, this one has been in fast-forward, and is using many local contractors. This adaptive reuse project is transforming the 1921 Junior High School (most recently the community center and city offices) into a 45-room hotel, 350-seat ballroom, 550-seat auditorium, lobby bar and outdoor patio. Hotel Grinnell is independent and unique, and will strive to offer an authentic local experience.
The College continues to acquire land in the Zone of Confluence, and has swapped the land directly north of St. Mary's Catholic Church for the St. Mary's Religious Education Center across the street on Broad. St. Mary's has begun construction on their new center, and is currently leasing the building across the street from the College for $1/month until their new space is complete.
Grinnell College has broken ground on their Humanities and Social Studies Complex (HSSC) on campus, and the new portion of the building is beginning to emerge. Plans for the 196,000-square-foot complex include renovation and revitalization of Alumni Recitation Hall (ARH) and Carnegie Hall. When the complex is ready for occupancy in the fall of 2020, it will include 40 classrooms complete with advanced technology to support changes in education, 145 faculty offices, team and social spaces, and a redesigned auditorium.
All of these projects combined have great potential to attract more people to our community and downtown. We will keep you updated as these projects continue to come together. Exciting things ahead!
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