New Environmental Learning Center Officially Underway

The Mahaska County Conservation Board held their official groundbreaking ceremony for the new environmental learning center on Thursday evening.

The Mahaska County Conservation Board held their official groundbreaking ceremony for the new environmental learning center on Thursday evening.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Members of the Mahaska County Conservation Board celebrated a day that was nearly a decade in the making, the groundbreaking for the new environmental learning center.

“I’m excited to have everybody here,” said Mahaska County Conservation Director Dave Sedivec to the crowd of over 50 individuals on hand.

Sedivec was happy to say the faded sign stating ‘the future home of the environmental learning center’ will come down as construction gets underway. “It’s been nine years to the month since this project started, and the biggest thanks we have for this entire project is the people of Mahaska County. If it wasn’t for the vote of the local option sales tax to help fund this building, we still wouldn’t be standing here.”

Dirt work for the structure began on Friday, August 4th, and the plan is to be in and working from the new structure by July of 2018.

The land where the structure is to be built will be brought up to a grade acceptable by the Iowa Department of Transportation. The amount of dirt could be more than 4,000 cubic yards of material to make that transformation.

Once the grade for the structure is set, the building should go up fairly quickly and will be constructed of preformed concrete panels.

The Pella-Rolscreen Foundation has also given the project $100,000 to help with purchasing new displays for the facility.

Those displays were supported in a big way with a grant from MidWestOne to the tune of $50,000 for a full-size mammoth display.

The Friends of Mahaska County Conservation have been there along the way, helping to raise funds for the new center.

Shirley Stursma was Sedivec’s administrative assistant until she passed away. “The memorials from her and her husband [were donated] when they passed away. Her husband Paul loved to fish. Their memorial money is going towards the aquarium in the new building,” said Sedivec. “That’s something I’m really looking forward to.”

“Leroy Nugteren is another person who had their memorial money go towards the new environmental learning center. Nugteren was instrumental in planning the new center,” explained Sedivec.

“To me, I guess right now, it’s more of the emotional connection type things I’m looking forward to the most. These people that weren’t able to see it completed but were involved in the beginning planning. I’m thinking of them,” added Sedivec. “This is for them.”

Posted by on Aug 4 2017. Filed under Local News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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