Marengo native directs community development

MARENGO — The new program director of Marengo Community Development grew up in Marengo and graduated from Iowa Valley High School.

Marissa Bral returns to her hometown to continue the job Corinne Dally started — helping Marengo grow and thrive.

Bral graduated from Coe College in Cedar Rapids with a degree in business and art. She worked for Read Photography in Cedar Rapids for four years before COVID lockdowns put a dent in that career.

Bral ended up in real estate, working for an abstract company in Iowa City, but she continued to look for a career that was a better fit. She found a position providing business development for a construction company.

Bral learned a lot about economic development in that industry, she said. So when the Marengo Community Development board of directors approached her about taking Dally’s former position, Bral made the switch. “It went pretty quick,” she said.

Marengo Community Development is fairly new, growing out of the local Chamber of Commerce in 2022.

“A lot of times in small communities, people have good ideas but nobody pushes them to fruition,” Bral said. That’s where Marengo Community Development comes it.

“They’ve got a lot done,” said Bral.

Marengo Community Development initially concentrated on filling vacancies in the downtown district, said Bral. “That was successful.”

Dally also organized more community events, such as Jingle Around the Square, a car cruise, trunk or treat, the fall festival which featured train rides by Iowa Interstate Railroad and the Gateway Challenge triathlon.

Under Dally’s leadership, Community Development brought the farmers market back to town.

“I think the next step is a big housing push,” said Bral.

As the city brings more businesses to Marengo and Compass Memorial Healthcare continues to grow, more housing and child care is needed.

“We’re working on ideas for that,” Bral said.

Marengo has five or six in-home child care facilities and doesn’t want to discourage residents from pursuing that option, said Bral.

But Marengo Community Development is looking for a centralized place. “I think everyone’s scare to do it alone. I feel like its going to take multiple [agencies].”

Bral currently takes her son to Oxford for child care.

Marengo Community Development doesn’t work alone to find ways to meet Marengo’s need. Iowa Valley Community School District and Iowa County Community Development are collaborating on the child care options.

People who want to open day care facilities in their homes can contact Bral, who knows where they can find online resources and online classes to start that kind of business.

“So there’s a lot of good resources,” Bral said, and they’re free.

“I think people just don’t know where to look.”