Greene County’s application to be designated as an Iowa Great Place has moved forward to finalist status. Representatives from the Iowa Great Places Board and Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs will be in Jefferson on Monday, June 3. The visit will begin at The Welcome Center with representatives of the various partners in the application, move to a tour of key locations at the Mahanay Bell Tower, and conclude with wrap-up and final questions back at the Welcome Center.
Greene County Development Corporation is the applicant for all of Greene County excluding the Raccoon Valley Bike Trail since it is already an Iowa Great Place. Other partners in this application are Jefferson Matters: Main Street and Greene County Chamber & Tourism. The Visioning piece of the application was the Vision 2020 through GCDC which included involvement of Greene County Community Schools, various tourism locations, county industries and businesses. The Greene County Supervisors wrote a letter of support for this designations along with four other representative groups. Lauren Subler of Region XII Council of Governments wrote the application for Greene County.
The designations decision notification is by June 28 after all of the site visits have been completed by the committee.
- Benefits of Iowa Great Place designation include:
- Networking with other designated Great Places
- Professional development opportunities
- Mentorship with fellow Great Places
- Technical assistance
- Additional consideration by state agencies
Designated communities may submit up to three project proposals for potential funding with the understanding that only one project per designated community can receive an award.