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AIMS liaison highlights rural childcare, opera house rehab and small-home subdivisions
Summary
Brenda Dreyer of the AIMS Regional Economic Alliance reported on completed and upcoming projects in Story County’s rural communities, including a Stepping Stones childcare conversion in Slater, the Cambridge Opera House tour and Keystone Estates homebuilding and subdivision work in Roland and north Ames.
Brenda Dreyer, liaison for the AIMS Regional Economic Alliance, gave the board a quarterly outreach update on Aug. 19, highlighting several rural development projects across Story County. Dreyer described a converted facility in Slater called Stepping Stones Childcare, thanked the board for county funding that supported the project, and said the facility is promoting wraparound services for the school year.
Dreyer also updated supervisors on the Cambridge Opera House rehabilitation, noting the project experienced occupancy and fire-code issues but that a public tour by Cambridge’s mayor was planned at the end of the month. She said the project combined county funding with a grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to create upper-story housing and an accessible main-floor apartment.
On housing development, Dreyer described work by Keystone Estates (referred to in the meeting as Keystone Homes) that has built and sold three houses in Nevada and planned a first phase of 18 single-family lots in north Ames, with sewer and water extensions by the city of Roland to support development south of town. She said the Keystone houses are priced “right about 3 or under,” and that the homes include unfinished but plumbed basements to allow future buyer improvements.
Dreyer asked supervisors to continue outreach and support for rural communities’ use of tools such as tax increment financing and urban renewal plans and said AIMS will provide more detailed quarterly reports going forward. No formal board action was requested on the report.
Direct quote: “I serve in the role of being the liaison with the board of supervisors with our most rural communities here in Story County,” Dreyer told the board. “I have printed copies, today, for anyone that would like a printed copy, of the report.”
