Washington’s field house wins massive Riverboat grant

WASHINGTON — The Washington County Riverboat Foundation announced its spring grant awards Wednesday night in Kalona, delivering its annual share of good news and funding for a spread of local governments, first responders, nonprofits and schools. But A $3.5 million contribution to a field house for Washington’s schools stole the show.

The contribution is tied for the largest in WCRF history, according to Foundation Director Patty Koller. The move comes months after a separate $4 million donation from an anonymous benefactor, who offered the funds to the school district’s athletic booster club on the condition they be used for a top-of-the-line athletic facility.

Koller said it was hard to turn down a near match for such an ambitious contribution.

“We just couldn’t turn our backs on that,” Koller said. “It would have never gotten started without that anonymous donor, but because of that, we felt we needed to step up as well and make this happen. Because we have the casino in Washington County, our athletes deserve to have the very best facilities.”

Washington CSD Activities Director and Booster Club Project Manager Nathan Miller said he was thrilled about the announcement, and thanked the foundation for its massive show of support.

“It’s so exciting, there’s a lot of gratefulness, for the Washington County Riverboat Foundation to see the value, and believe in the project that we’re working toward making a reality,” he said.

The grant brings the project’s fundraising total up to about $7.65 million, when grouped with the initial $4 million gift, a handful of private donations and a $30,000 commitment from the Washington Betterment Foundation.

While the Riverboat grant represents a considerable windfall, the project is not yet guaranteed.

  Buy Photo

With a total price tag estimated between $9 and $10 million, the booster club still needs to find a considerable chunk of change before construction can begin, tentatively in spring of 2027, according to Miller.

Miller said that money would come from community contributions, with the booster club planning to launch a fundraising campaign in the near future. While the group hasn’t set up an online donation page yet, it plans to do so soon.

“With this boost, our fundraising committee will now go out and work with community members, with alumni, with the goal of bringing in the remaining amount,” he said. “I’m working on our own website that I would like to put some more information on. We’ve got some final meetings next week (to make) some small adjustments, very small, and once those are made, we’ll make sure that we share those with everybody.”

Conceptual plans for the field house were shared at another Riverboat meeting in April, where foundation board members saw concept art for the building and proposed layouts featuring a 60-yard indoor football turf, eight 45 m sprinting lanes, a 3,200 square-foot weight room and a golf simulator room, among other amenities.

The initial, $4 million anonymous donor spoke with The Union at that April meeting, on the condition that his anonymity be maintained until the facility is more fully funded. He said he believed a new state-of-the-art field house would drive community growth in Washington.

“I think it’d be a great project (and) a reason for families to move here and raise their kids,” the donor said. “Washington has always been kind of a bedroom community for Iowa City, and I think it creates that opportunity to be greater.”

Other spring grant awards announced Wednesday night included, among others:

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com