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At their meeting on March 20, the Kalona City Council voted to accept a deed, which dedicated 94.89 acres of real estate to the city. The land, which is part of the 284-acre Southtown development, was turned over by Moyna Holdings, Inc. 

A stipulation with the nearly 95 acres is that it be used as a recreation area for residents of Kalona and the surrounding communities. This was always the intention, says Kalona City Administrator, Ryan Schlabaugh, who spoke to KCII about the next steps for the over $3 million project. “The spring is a busy grant cycle, and as those become available to us, we can act very quickly on being able to implement and spend those funds down. Our goal is really in that ten, twelve, [or] fourteen month timeframe from April, May, [or] June to be able to substantially have some programming and recreational opportunities out there.”

One such funding opportunity refers to a spring grant application submitted by the city to the Washington County Riverboat Foundation in the amount of $1,450,000. WCRF Spring Grant Awards will be announced on May 17. 

With the dedication complete, work on the recreation area could begin as soon as this spring.