Does Winneshiek County need more housing? Community focus groups will be held Monday to discuss that topic

What can be done to increase the amount of housing available in Winneshiek County, to help improve employment in the area?

Winneshiek County Development, Inc. will be holding four different community focus group sessions Monday on that topic.  WCDI volunteers will host a meeting with  realtors and property managers from 1:00 p.m. until 2:30 p.m.; with home builders and bankers from 2:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.; with  major employers from 4:00 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. and with  the public sector from 5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.  All four meetings will be held at Decorah City Hall.  A fifth focus group will be held from 7:30 a.m. until 9:00 a.m. Tuesday at the Calmar Fire Station.  The focus-group sessions are open to the public but require reservations.  Please contact WCDI Director Randy Uhl at 382-6061 or by e-mail at wcdi@thinkdecorah.com.

The focus group meetings are part of a "Community Housing Assessment Team" ("CHAT") study.  The study is aimed at discovering the specific housing problems there are in Winneshiek County and the possible solutions to those problems.

The cost of the housing study is $10,000.  Black Hills Energy has contributed a $3,000 grant; the City of Decorah has pledged $2,500; Decorah Jobs, Inc. is contributing $2,500; and Winneshiek County is giving $2,000.  Aase Haugen Homes and Viking State Bank have volunteered to put $500 each into the project, money that will be used to buy down the original commitments from the city, Decorah Jobs and Winneshiek County.