City Offers Former Community Center and $100,000 Grant

December 29, 2006

CITY OFFERS FORMER COMMUNITY CENTER AND $100,000
TO INTERESTED DEVELOPERS

The City of Hawarden is offering its former city hall and community center building at no cost.  The City will also contribute $100,000 or 1/3 of project costs to aid in the renovation of the historic structure.  Interested developers must submit a renovation and usage plan to Hawarden’s City Administrator for consideration.  A developer will be ultimately chosen by the City Council.  Proposals are currently being accepted and will be accepted until further notice. 

“The building was facing demolition, which was a significant cost to the community”, said Mayor Ric Porter.  “There is some great value for the community in saving the building as a historic treasure and as an anchor in our Main Street retail district,” he added.  The City Council decided to offer the cost of demolition as a grant to a developer willing to help the community save the facility. 

Many uses have been proposed for the facility, ranging from a distribution/warehouse or offices for a new business to a movie theater, to loft apartments and condominiums.  “We have begun a nationwide search for a someone with construction, real estate, or other backgrounds that may have the vision it takes to convert the building into a productive use for the community”, said Jason Metten, Hawarden’s City Administrator.  “We are working with several individuals but have not yet received any written proposals or plans”, said Metten. 

The former city hall is located at 715 Central Avenue.  It was originally built in 1917 and served as the Hawarden City Offices until 1980.  The building was used as a community center until 2004.  The building includes a total of almost 9,000 square feet of space including an open main level with hardwood floors and a stage at the west end and a lower level divided into office space. 

Interested developers should contact the Hawarden City Offices at (712) 551-2565 or 1-866-403-6460.  Details on the building are located at http://www.hawardendevelopment.com. 

HAPP Offers Cash Rewards for Business Leads

December 18, 2006

HAWARDEN AREA PARTNERSHIP FOR PROGRESS
OFFERS CASH REWARDS FOR BUSINESS LEADS

The Hawarden Area Partnership for Progess (HAPP) has again announced Hawarden Business Lead Reward Program.  The program offers cash rewards for individuals who provide business contacts which lead to a new business in the community which provides additional jobs.  The aim of the program is to spur business development and increase the participation of local residents in the community’s economic development efforts. 

The program was originally announced in 2004 and was mildly successful.  “With our new push to market the community to surrounding states and across the country, HAPP felt it was time to reintroduce the program,” said Chris Myres, Economic Development Director for the City of Hawarden.  We’ve stepped up our recruitment efforts over the past two to three years through marketing, increasing the availability of relocation incentives, and improving the quality of life attributes that new employers look for in choosing a community,” said Myres.

Community leaders hope to capitalize on the contacts of local residents.  “Our best salespeople are the current and former residents of Hawarden,” says Dan Cain, President of HAPP.  These people know the benefits of owning a business and raising a family in our community.  We hope through their business and family contacts, ideas of new business contacts will come to life and can be rewarded through the Lead Reward Program,” he said.

The program provides cash rewards to individuals providing business leads on a graduating scale.  Starting at a $2,500 reward for 15 jobs up to $25,000 for 200 or more jobs, HAPP will base its reward on the number of new jobs at the new business after one year of operation in Hawarden.

For more information on the Hawarden Business Lead Reward Program, please visit us online at http://www.hawardendevelopment.com or call 1-866-403-6460 or (712) 551-4402.