(ORANGE CITY)– Construction is expected to be complete on the Orange City Event Center by spring of 2012. The groundbreaking ceremony for the Orange City Event Center was held October 30, 2010.
The Event Center is the second phase of the “Phoenix Project,” which rose from the ashes of the historic Hawkeye building on Orange City’s main street, following a fire in the summer of 2008.
Marty Guthmiller, chair of the Phoenix Project task force, said that the addition of the Event Center will give people one more reason to live, work and raise a family in Orange City.
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Guthmiller explained the two story, multi-purpose facility.
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The center itself will be designed to accommodate up to 400 people for special events including private, public, and corporate events, cultural activities, recreation, education, and entertainment.
Vision Iowa, a grant program through the Iowa Department of Economic Development, awarded Orange City nine hundred and twenty-two thousand dollars to put toward the project. Vision Iowa Board Member Charese Yanney was in attendance at the groundbreaking to congratulate Orange City on bringing the board a cohesive idea.
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The remainder of the money needed for the Event Center is being funded through a general obligation bond and through corporate and private contributions.
Besides construction, the next step in getting ready for the Event Center is hiring an Event and Brand Manager for Orange City. The hope is to have that position filled by January. (Angela Drake, KLEM News)
