(Radio Iowa) – The state’s Enhance Iowa Board has awarded one-point-eight MILLION dollars worth of grants to help finance four community projects. The small southeast Iowa town of Keota is getting a half million dollar state grant toward a project to build an outdoor heated pool that will have a splash pad, a diving board and an area for lap swimming. Another half a million dollar grant is going to the Y-M-C-A of Washington County for an indoor aquatic center, which will include spectator seating around six lanes for lap swimming.

The Enhance Iowa Board has awarded a half a million dollar grant toward improvements around West Okoboji’s Terrace Park Beach, which has a public swimming area in the lake, and the nearby Alex Danborn Memorial Park. The small northwest Iowa town of Marcus is getting a 300-thousand dollar grant for a facility that will include a golf course clubhouse, a recreation center, a restaurant and event venue as well as an area for virtual sports.

The Enhance Iowa Board has awarded sports tourism marketing grants to Carroll for its Kick It Up youth soccer tournament next month and to two groups promoting events during the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa’s overnight stop in Des Moines. This is the 50th anniversary year for RAGBRAI.