(Photo posted by Visit Mason City to Facebook)
DES MOINES – A contingent of lobbyists from Mason City were in Des Moines Thursday, pleading for state taxpayer dollars to build 5 new structures in the downtown Cultural Crescent.
According to Visit Mason City, “representatives from Mason City traveled to Des Moines (Thursday) to make their presentation about the Downtown Redevelopment Plan to the IEDA Board. The presentation is part of Mason City’s application for funding through the Iowa Reinvestment Act.”
It appears that at-large city councilman Alex Kuhn gave all or part of the presentation. He told NIT Friday that “we had the largest contingency of supporters representing all the organizations involved in the project. I think we had 30 people in attendance.”
Other communities also made presentations, such as Coralville, which also wants to build an ice area, as Mason City does.
It’s been two long years since the city declared a hotel would be built here. Not a speck of dust has been moved in construction, since.
Mason City’s plan as presented to state economic development officials includes 1) a Marriott Hotel, to be built just a few feet west of city hall; 2) a parking ramp, to be built north of the hotel, in the same public parking lot; 3) a mixed-use building that includes retail shops and apartments at the southeast corner of Second Street and North Federal Avenue; 4) a pavilion built at the north entrance to Southbridge Mall; and 5) a 5,000 seat hockey arena on the west side of Southbridge Mall, where JC Penney used to do business.
Next month, state officials will reveal who gets state funding to move ahead with their projects. Mason City wants $9.8 million for its roughly $36 million project.
