Pottawattamie supervisors hear $1.2 million EDA grant and multi‑site recovery plans for Minden

Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday heard an update from Bethany Wilcox and a senior adviser on recovery and redevelopment efforts in the city of Minden following a tornado more than two years ago. Wilcox said the community has secured a $1.2 million U.S. Economic Development Administration grant, covering roughly 80 percent of eligible work, with a 20 percent local match expected.

"We finally have the grant — $1.2 million," Wilcox said, and she told the board that part of the local match will come from the county’s rural infrastructure collaborative. She said the grant will support downtown improvements, including repainting the exterior of city hall through a Paint Iowa Beautiful partnership and possible additional property work through the Community Catalyst program with the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

Wilcox also described plans for park and recreation investments. Kaylor Park will receive native plantings under a Keep Iowa Beautiful program and a natural playscape of boulders, logs and native plants to provide a sensory play area. The board packet included concept designs for the playscape and a plant palette.

For broader site redevelopment, Wilcox said the city has a new plan for the "North 40," a 40‑acre site on the north side of town. "We're down to 88 lots rather than 119," she said, describing a shift away from maximum lot counts and toward larger, higher‑quality lots and improved connectivity to Kaylor Park and the east side of town.

Wilcox said the county, Iowa West and other local partners have contributed funding and technical support, and that the city is pursuing USDA Rural Development and other grants to finance a proposed community recreation hub. She estimated the hub — which could include a community club building, Little League fields, an inclusive playground and trailhead amenities — at about $4.1 million for initial building and site infrastructure, and said the total of recent grants and developer contributions in the community is about $4.7 million with match and other local funding bringing the figure to roughly $7 million.

Supervisor discussion focused on phasing and next steps. One supervisor asked about the first phase for housing; Wilcox said phasing had not been finalized and engineering would determine the sequence. The board and presenters agreed to continue coordination with Iowa West, Advance Southwest Iowa and county staff on funding and next design steps.

The board took no formal vote on the projects in this presentation; Wilcox’s briefing provided direction and context for future grant applications and county collaboration.