Recreational facilities group asks City of Decorah for $250,000

Members of the group that has been working to create a community fields complex on Pole Line Road on Monday night presented the Decorah City Council with a funding request. 

The RESPI group told city council members it expects the cost of building three new softball diamonds, a competition soccer pitch, flexible-use green space and a cross country running course on the Pole Line Road property--as well as 6 or 8 tennis courts off Heivly Street--will be $1,750,000.  Of that amount, RESPI is asking the city to contribute $250,000 in addition to the $150,000 already pledged by the City Park-Rec Department.  The Decorah School District would contribute $300,000 towards the tennis court project, Winneshiek County would contribute $50,000 and the remaining $1 million would come from grants and private donations.

The Decorah City Council on Monday night unanimously endorsed an application for an Iowa Great Places grant for the project.  It did so even though Finance Committee Chair Paul Wanless stated, "we don't know where the money (for the project) is coming from."

The city's Property Committee will meet at 5:00 p.m. Thursday to discuss REPSI's proposal, with a Finance Committee meeting to follow.  City officials say the grant application doesn't obligate them to supporting the recreational facilities project--but, obviously, they would like to know how they could come up with $250,000 if they want to help fund the project.