Crews are working to complete the exterior frame of the new Kalona Community Center.

City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh says construction is moving along nicely, “They’re out putting up steel on the outside, the skin of the building. Inside they’re finishing up the elevator shaft and framing out the remodel rooms that we’re going to have interior- wise. The goal is hopefully by next week to have everything framed in outside so they can button it up. And when the heaters and the dehumidifiers come, I believe the 23rd of January, then the building will be ready to be climate controlled and to take the frost out of the ground inside. And once that’s completed they can start pouring concrete.”

As the city reaches the halfway point in the construction timeline, contract manager Carl A. Nelson and architecture firm Martin Gardner will attend the city council meeting this Monday to discuss the budget and any changes to be made to the plans, as Schlabaugh says the city has so far used about 35% of its $321,291 contingency budget. The $5.3 million center is scheduled to be completed by this summer.