Sheldon, IA -The Vision Iowa Board voted unanimously to allocate $1.1 million for the Northwest iowa Lifelong Learning and Recreation Center to be built on the campus of Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon.

NCC administrators originally had asked the board to put $1.3 million toward the estimated $6.1 million project. However, whether the college would receive any money at all was put in jeopardy in mid-September when Governor Chet Culver took all uncommitted money out of the Vision Iowa Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) Fund.

At that time, NCC already had met with the Vision Iowa Board twice and the center was one of four projects that had reached the negotiation phase. College administrators received good news in December when they learned Culver had reinstated $1. million back into that fund. Bu thow much funding NCC would receive remained a question because that money was likely to be spread out between the four projects.

"I was pleased when I heard the amount of the grant," said NCC president Bill Giddings. "Obviously, we would have liked to have had $1.3 million, but when you're dealing with $1.9 million and four requests - I'm appreciative that the Vision Iowa Board saw our project as being that meaningful that they would commit that lare of a portion of what they had to work owth ."

Jan Snyder, NCC's vice president of institutional advancement and enrollment services, and the Vision Iowa grant was the last piece of the puzzle in terms of funding for the project. However, the allocation did come with some stipulations. First, NCC must show it can come up with the other $200,000 within 90 days. Second, the college must break ground by July 1 and the project must receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Certification. Giddings said NCC already has been working closely with the lead architectural firm to make sure the building will be LEED certified. LEED shows the project was made with "green" building practices in mind.

NCC still has a number of private contribution requests college administrators hope will account for most if not all of the $200,000 it needs to raise to ensure the project will begin by July.

To prove its importance throughout the region rather than just on its campus, NCC formed partnerships with the city of Sheldon, all of the counties the school serves, Sanford Health System, and the Northwest Iowa Economic Development Coalition, among others. The partnerships were key in the project receiving funding. As a policy, the Vision Iowa Program does not fund college projects. The NCC articulate that this is not a college project, but a community project.

Because the facility will be on NCC's campus, Giddings said the center will be a tremendous asset to the college in terms of attracting new students to the college and catering to current students' needs. But he said even more important is what it will do the area.

"I cannot place enough importance on this project," he said. "I look at this as being both a tremendous asset for NCC and probably, I think, selfishly, one of the better economic development projets for northwest Iowa that we've had."

The first phase of the project consists of 34,795 square-foot structure that will feature a college-regulation multipurpose gymnasium, a walking/running track, a fitness facility, bath and locker facilities, a cyber cafe, seminar rooms, office space, a reception area and a convention trade show area. The first phase is estimated at $6.1 million and the Vision Iowa funds will go toward that. The second phase will be a 6,564 square-foot addition to the facility that will feature an auditorium.