Grant application turned down

by Marianne Gasaway

A grant application to create a North Iowa Innovation Center to help address the role of North Iowa’s technology sector in the economy has been turned down.

Chad Schreck, executive director of the North Iowa Corridor Economic Development Corporation, told the Clear Lake City Council last week that a $750,000 grant application supported by the City of Clear Lake, Mason City, Cerro Gordo County and others was not approved.

“We didn’t get it. We didn’t quite fit into apparently what they told us was more important to them, which we thought was growing rural economies,” said Schreck, adding that grant recipients were primarily major metros, like New York City and Dallas, as well as major universities.

Schreck told the Council that despite the setback, the efforts to launch the Innovation Center continue.  

“We’re going to continue to press forward. We’re looking at some other potential funding opportunities. We may apply again next year,” said Schreck.  “Sometimes it just makes you hone in on the program a little bit better, make it a little bit tighter, run it more local, and maybe it’s a better project in the end anyway.”