Latest news with #DestinationIowa
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Live on Location: Quarry Springs Park in Colfax adds 40 new RV sites
COLFAX, Iowa — What started as a vacant quarry with lots of potential has officially turned into one of Jasper County's standout destinations. Quarry Springs Park is located just off I-80 in Colfax. The park is operated by the Colfax Park Board, and this year it's celebrating 10 years of operation with the unveiling of its biggest project yet — an RV campground. The board acquired the 480 acres of land from Martin Marietta, an Iowa area development group known for donating land to local governments across the state. The area was formerly a sand and gravel quarry but it was no longer a profitable quarry and therefore sat vacant. Doug Garrett is the president of the Colfax Park Board. The board was created in 1999 to oversee the creation of two baseball diamonds in the west of town. In 2014, board members learned of the possibility of acquiring the prized 480 acres of land near exit 155 on I-80. Garrett said the land had the potential to be a tourism destination in Central Iowa because 240 acres, or half of the park's total acreage, was spring-fed water. He believed the sight would be a perfect location for a campground. Mineral water made Colfax a booming vacation hot spot The board started planning for Quarry Springs Park in April 2014, but officially accepted the land without reclamation in 2015. For the first year, Garrett said community members worked on the land to help them get it open by 2016. Volunteering at the park became a common trend for Colfax residents and those from surrounding communities. 'Since [2014 and] going through the last month, we're literally just a little over 57,000 volunteer hours,' said Garrett. 'The grants are nice, but the volunteer hours is what's really carried the opportunity to develop the way that we have.' The most recent volunteers helped plant 50 trees of seven different species in the new RV campground. The RV campground project cost $1.2 million in total, but the city had help from a $400,000 grant from Destination Iowa. The new addition added 40 RV sites to the park's existing 27 tent sites. Garrett said Iowa campers have a hard time finding RV sites because state and county parks fill up quickly as a result of renovations. The new site at Quarry Springs Park is adding another opportunity for Iowans to enjoy the outdoors. Over the last 10 years of the park's operation, people came to kayak or boat, or hike the 6 miles of trails surrounding the park. There are also sand dunes that kids frequently play in. On weekends and holidays, Adventure Iowa provides kayaks for rent along the waterfront. The most unique attraction for Quarry Springs Park is the osprey, a fish-eating bird of prey. The park has one consistent nesting pair every year, but up to three nesting pairs have been spotted in the park in a given year. Garrett said the Iowa DNR has observed as many as 26 known nesting pairs across the state of Iowa, so having three pairs in one location is unheard of. On Location: Colfax-Mingo school spotlight Colfax City Administrator Wade Wagoner said the ospreys are a huge attraction to the park. Visitors can see the bird dive up to six feet deep into the water to catch prey. Wagoner said the Iowa DNR had tried to rehome osprey in other areas of the state, but the osprey kept finding their way back to Quarry Springs Park. As a result, when the city redesigned its city flag, it included an osprey on it. A new attraction coming later this year to Quarry Springs Park is a disc golf course. While this is a frequent destination for people in Jasper County, the park also attracts people from across the country. Garrett said the park welcomed people from 34 different states last year, but they're expecting that number to increase this year with the new RV campsite. The Colfax Park Board is hosting a grand opening over the weekend for the new RV campsite. People can get tours of the park from a ranger, and there will be a dedication ceremony on Saturday, May 24th at 2 p.m. Quarry Springs Park is located at 200 North Park Road in Colfax, Iowa. Live on Location: Quarry Springs Park in Colfax adds 40 new RV sites On Location: Colfax-Mingo school spotlight Spring soaker: How much rain fell over Iowa last night Southwest Iowa water system struggling to come back online PHOTOS: Thunderstorms drop large hail in Iowa Monday Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
County approves VA 28E agreement, more to come
OTTUMWA — The Wapello County Board of Supervisors approved a 28E agreement that will allow the county to share a Veterans Affairs director on an interim basis, but more agreements are likely to follow. During Tuesday's meeting at the courthouse, the county and Jefferson County made official a sharing agreement for Raymond Chambers, the Jefferson County Veterans Affairs Director. Under the agreement, Chambers will still be fully employed by his home county, but receive hourly pay from Wapello County for work solely on Friday. But, four more days will need to be filled Monday through Thursday, and that help will likely come from four separate counties. "The other counties will come in to try to get the office back in order," said veterans affairs commissioner Rick Hindsley. "Jefferson County will be here on Fridays to set up appointments with veterans and work on their claims. The other counties will be coming in to get the pile straightened out and getting the office organized." Nothing has been made official as of yet as 28E agreements must still be approved between Wapello County and boards in Cedar, Davis, Lee and Monroe counties. "This is just temporary until we get somebody to fill the position," board chair Darren Batterson said. "I know we've had several applicants." The veterans affairs commission has been scrambling to fill the role since it fired veterans services officer Rachel Dolley last month for what it called "incompetency and misconduct," claiming there were boxes of files on veterans stuff in a box under Dolley's desk. Three veterans spoke out in Dolley's defense at a recent supervisors' meeting, saying Dolley worked in a hostile work environment, but the board was not allowed to reverse the commission's decision. In other business: — The supervisors approved a resolution to make an intrafund loan of $1,701 to the county conservation campground development fund. The loan is part of a series of transfers the county has made toward the project, which received a $600,000 Destination Iowa grant. Essentially the county has loaned money to the campground fund because cash flow from the grant has been slow. The first transfer was made in October, with others in November and December. "Destination Iowa actually sent one of their refund checks, and it was $162,000 over. We'd deposited that, but had to refund it because they gave us too much," Batterson said. "They (the campground) had to spend another $10,000 for what they were registered for for the grant," Batterson said. "So they had to come up with some things to buy, but stuff they could buy at Menards is a no-go. They have to take bids on stuff instead of buying it themselves. "It's been kind of a tedious process because (Destination Iowa) has asked for different stuff than what they originally asked for, so we're having to constantly go back and change things," he said.
