On Wednesday, May 17, the Washington County Riverboat Foundation held a meeting at Wooden Wheel Vineyards in Keota to name the recipients of their 2023 Spring Grants. The largest grant of the evening went to the City of Kalona in the amount of $554,300. 

City Administrator, Ryan Schlabaugh, was in attendance to accept the grant, which will go towards the future recreation park and trail in the Southtown development. Schlabaugh explained to KCII, “The city has roughly 115 acres through the developer’s agreement that was brought on board out there that’s city-owned land. Through a 28E we’ve worked with the Washington County Conservation Board to do land management. So this will really kick-off the public amenities that will be out there, whether it be dog park, naturescape park, a splash pad, playground equipment and so forth. Our goal is to have the best city park in the state of Iowa that’s managed by Washington County Conservation.”

The Kalona City Council accepted a deed to the land for the recreation area on March 20. The Riverboat Foundation funds will help move planning forward on the project, which is estimated to cost over $3 million and will be worked on in phases. 

The Washington County Riverboat Foundation is the non-profit license holder for the Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, which provides all of its funding. WCRF gave out a total of 25 grants for their spring cycle, totaling $1,630,255.