Volunteers making progress updating Grand Mound Community Center – Clinton Herald

GRAND MOUND Sarah Beuthien tries not to stop by every night to check on the progress being made on the remodeling project at the Grand Mound Community Center.

But the president of the Grand Mound Community Center Board admitted its not easy.

After all, improvements are happening every day, and Beuthien said theyre nothing short of amazing.

The renovation, which officially began Dec. 28, is long overdue, she noted.

The building, located at 510 Smith St., was constructed in 1987. Aside from putting a fresh coat of paint on the interior of the center, nothing within the last 10 years or so has been updated.

Beuthien, who moved with her family to Grand Mound 17 years ago, said the community center board typically meets once a quarter to address any kind of issues or concerns regarding the center.

Last year, however, members met more frequently to plan and discuss the renovation project.

The list of improvements includes painting the entire center and the kitchen cabinets, all new flooring, new countertops in the bathrooms and kitchen, new thermostats, new hardware on the doors, new ceiling fans, new trim throughout, and new bathroom partitions.

We have been waiting to remodel for some time now, Beuthien related. We were seeing a decline in the number of center rentals, and it was pretty obvious the center was not aesthetically pleasing to the eye. People want to have a nice background for pictures at their events.

Events held at the community center include the towns annual COMBO sale, trivia nights, the firefighters chicken dinner and breakfast, the Halloween BOO Bash, the 50-Plus dinner, baby showers, reunions and wedding receptions.

The total cost of the project will fall between $30,000 and $35,000. Beuthien said the board agreed to launch a letter campaign asking for donations.

The response to that campaign has proven how much the community wants to see the center thrive.

We have raised just over $30,000 so far, Beuthien said. We were overwhelmed with the community support we received and continue to receive. We are still asking for donations. Since we arent finished yet, there is still the potential of an unexpected expense. We also noticed the paint on the front of the building is beginning to bubble, so that will need to be addressed in the very near future.

Mike Lawson, a Grand Mound resident, offered to be the project manager and has worked with various contractors to arrange the work that needs to be done.

Beuthien said without Lawson, the numerous volunteers, individuals, businesses and the city itself, the project would almost certainly take longer to complete.

In the meantime, no events will be held.

We cant thank everyone enough, Beuthien shared. The community center is the hub of our community. If we didnt have the center, I could see several events discontinued simply due to not having a location to locally host them. We hope to appeal to more people with these updates, which will, in turn, make for more rentals.

Beuthien said organizers are anticipating the work will be done in early February and likely will schedule an open house event sometime in March.

Anyone wishing to donate to the project may send a check to: Grand Mound Community Center, Box 283, Grand Mound, IA 52751.

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Kate Howes is a staff writer with the DeWitt Observer.

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Volunteers making progress updating Grand Mound Community Center - Clinton Herald