Bell Ringer’s in Cass County collected more than $8,240 during the campaign held this year at three sites in Atlantic. According to Bell Ringing Chair Mark Wedemeyer, the donations, which benefit the Salvation Army’s local chapter, amounted to $8,241.91. Donations were down more than $2,360 from last year. Bell Ringing Co-Chair Teresa Kanning said donations in 2012 amounted to $10,608. In 2011, they were $8,605. Donations in 2010 amounted to $5,827 and in 2009, $5,264. Kanning said residents of Cass County have always been very supportive of the Salvation Army, and they are always grateful for every penny and dollar they receive.

Mark Wedemeyer told KJAN News he really doesn’t know why donations are down, except to say that there was one less weekend for fundraising this year, and that farmers may have been less inclined to contribute due to the decline in the price they are getting for their corn. Two years ago, corn was selling for about $7 per bushel. This year, it’s down to $4 per bushel. Kanning added that colder weather may also have contributed to the reduced number of people getting out to drop funds into the kettles.

Bell Ringing Chair Mark Wedemeyer (right) and a volunteer bell ringer. (Teresa Kanning/photo)

She said they had plenty of volunteers to ring bells this year, and several brought unique aspects to their shifts, bringing smiles to many people. Last year’s donations were used to: Aid stranded motorists with their basic needs; Assist low income families with the purchase of athletic shoes; Donate money to the Shop with a Cop and Family Dream Christmas programs, and donate supplies to the Parents as Teachers program.

The Vision Iowa Board awarded 23 projects around the state with Community Attraction and Tourism — or “CAT” — grants this year, including those located in Harlan, Coon Rapids, Templeton and Winterset, Board spokesperson Jessica O’Riley says the CAT program reached a big milestone in 2013. “The total CAT project costs, from the very first CAT award to this year, topped one-billion dollars,” O’Riley says.

The CAT program was launched 14 years ago. In 2013, the total CAT project costs topped 42-million dollars ($42 million). The Vision Iowa Board awarded just over five-point-five million dollars ($5.5 million) to those projects.

The smallest CAT grant award this year was 25-thousand dollars ($25,000) toward the construction of a park pavilion in the small northwest Iowa town of Moville. The largest awards went to massive projects in Des Moines and Pella. The Vision Iowa Board awarded a one-million dollar grant to the Pella Sports Park project, which carries a total price tag of nearly $7.5 million. Officials in Pella believe the facility, once opened in 2015, will draw regional tournaments.

Locally: The Merrill Field Renovation Project in Harlan and the Templeton Community Center Project each received $200,000 from Vision Iowa; A project that incorporates the construction of 35 miles of state-of-the-art “soft trails” through a seven-square-mile landscape at Whiterock Conservancy near Coon Rapids, received $400,000, and the John Wayne Birthplace Museum in Winterset also received $400,000 from Vision Iowa.  

The biggest CAT grant awarded in 2013 was $1.1 million for the renovation of a 35-year-old public space in downtown Des Moines formerly known as Nollen Plaza. The $9.7 million project, called Cowles Commons, will include gardens, a new water feature, and a new stage for Des Moines Performing Arts programs.

(Radio Iowa)