Buena Vista County foundation awards $51,490 to seven local projects

The biggest check in the Buena Vista County Community Foundation’s spring grant round went to the Graeber-Rowe American Legion in Sioux Rapids, where $22,931 will help pay for a floor replacement on a building still recovering from the 2024 flood. The seven awards totaled $51,490 and ranged from flood recovery to public safety gear, trail work, youth sports equipment and church safety needs.

The Legion project stands out because of the scale of the damage behind it. The June 22, 2024 flood left the building with more than $550,000 in losses, after the Little Sioux River surged five feet above its previous record. Nine feet of water filled the basement, wiping out the furnace, water heater and electrical systems. The floor replacement carries a total price tag of $45,862, and the foundation’s grant covers nearly half of it. Under FEMA rules, 75 percent of eligible costs are covered federally, Iowa adds a 10 percent bonus, and the local applicant is left responsible for about 15 percent, or roughly $50,000. Legion vice commander Rusty Smith and other local leaders have said the building is more than a veterans hall, serving as a shelter, voting site and community gathering space.

The next largest award went to the City of Alta, which received $15,000 toward trail connection and pickleball work tied to a larger $57,735 project. After that, the money spread across several practical, smaller needs: the Albert City Fire Department received $4,829 for structural firefighting gear, the Storm Lake Rotary Club got $2,500 for a community education trailer, Storm Lake Youth Softball was awarded $2,000 for a pitching machine, the Storm Lake Police Department received $3,380 for a ballistic shield, and St. Mark Lutheran Church got $850 for an AED.

The foundation’s broad reach reflects the way its grants are used across Buena Vista County rather than in one city or one kind of institution. Founded in 2005, the Buena Vista County Community Foundation typically runs two grant cycles each year. Its previous spring round distributed $67,736 across eight projects, led by $43,661 for Sioux Rapids 2000 Inc. for an X-ray machine, along with money for Witter Gallery’s maker’s space, the Rembrandt Firefighters Association’s structural gear and the Storm Lake Fire Department’s PPE and thermal camera.

That earlier round also helped the Sioux Rapids Historical Society improve the Memorial Building with lights and air conditioning, then add a sign recognizing community support. With more than $5.9 million in FEMA disaster recovery grants announced for Buena Vista County and nearby communities on April 23, the foundation’s latest awards fit into a longer rebuilding effort that is still working its way through the county.