DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The backyard of Iowa’s historic governor’s mansion is about to get a major facelift, with a new reflecting pool and vintage style greenhouse. Jeff Boeyink, a former chief of staff to Gov. Terry Branstad who heads up a fundraising effort for Terrace Hill, says both projects will be privately funded. He says the goal is to complete them by next summer, when Des Moines will host a meeting of the National Governor’s Association,

The project will convert a 1920s swimming pool that was filled in with sand and topsoil more than ten years ago into a decorative shallow reflecting pool. These improvements come after several years of work on the historic home. A new kitchen, updated restrooms and an energy-efficient heating and cooling system are among the recent updates.