В Малверне успешно продан первый дом, построенный по программе возрождения юго-запада Айовы

(Malvern) -- Efforts through the "Revitalize Southwest Iowa" Initiative are starting to come to fruition in Malvern. A little over two years ago, Malvern was among the 50 cities selected for the Charles E. Lakin Foundation's "Revitalize Southwest Iowa" Initiative, a $165 million donation to fund a variety of community projects throughout the region. Recently, Vision Malvern, the local non-profit established to help bring the funds to Malvern and surrounding smaller communities, celebrated the successful sale of the group's first home constructed through the initiative. Speaking on KMA's "Morning Line" program Monday morning, Vision Malvern Secretary Kate McGann says the funding helped the group construct a roughly 1,600-square-foot ranch-style home, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and modern finishes, on Augusta Circle in the Fairview Hills Estates subdivision. "It closed just a couple of weeks ago and so we're excited to get a new family into that home and into our community," said McGann. "We have some other homes that should be listed here in the next couple of weeks and our goal is to just keep repeating that cycle." The Community Foundation for Western Iowa manages and administers the "Charles E. Lakin Foundation Fund for Malvern, Iowa," an Endow Iowa Field of Interest Fund. Similar funds are also set up at the community foundation for Treynor, Atlantic, and Stanton. McGann says the recently sold home is one of several housing projects underway, partly thanks to "shovel-ready" sites in the golf course subdivision. "We purchased several lots at our golf course and worked with Mark Hughes Construction out of Glenwood," said McGann. "At this point, we have a townhome that's been completed with one unit sold and the other currently for sale. They're also currently finishing up three single-family homes." Jay Burdic is the president of Vision Malvern. Burdic says the recent home sale is a milestone they hope to build on moving forward. "The demand for housing in Malvern is still really strong, so the timing of this Lakin money is perfect," said Burdic. "Because houses in this town don't sit for sale very long and we're going to continue to keep building until people don't want to move here anymore. Right now, we're just all systems go on the construction of homes here." The Lakin Foundation launched the initiative in 2024 to assist projects in housing, child care, and education. While loans have assisted with the housing construction, McGann says grant funding through the initiative has also gone towards the new Lakin Foundation Child Development Center of East Mills and the 5210 Before and After School program. Additionally, McGann says grant funding is also going towards renovations to the community center in Hastings, which is listed as a "member city" under the Vision Malvern fund. "(Hastings) didn't meet the population threshold to have their own fund, but they have dollars available through us," she said. "So, (Hastings) is currently working to remodel their community center on the main road they're in Hastings. They're doing tuckpointing, windows, and some accessibility things to allow that building to remain a hub for community events." Burdic says the "Revitalize Southwest Iowa" Initiative is a game-changer for several small communities in the region that often lack the capital to tackle larger housing or child care projects. "Our town's been fortunate that for the past several years we've done a lot of tax increment financing projects, but there's just a lot of towns that can't do that," said Burdic. "So, this is going to allow so many towns that haven't been able to build houses to either build new or tear down old houses and replace them. So, it's a game-changer for every small town in southwest Iowa. You can hear the full interview with Jay Burdic and Kate McGann below: