Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen speaks alongside Regional Director Beth Frankenstein. (Photos by Celia Brocker)
By
Celia Brocker, Staff Writer
Having outgrown its office on West Fourth Street, the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Clay County has been working on its new building for several months. Monday evening, the site for the new office at West 18th Street was visited by ISU President Wendy Wintersteen to celebrate the progress made thus far.
The president was happy to be in Clay County to see the project coming together, and she was also excited to see the extension grow locally. Hearing what local people want, Wintersteen said, is what’s going to keep ISU Extension strong in the future.
“Extension really is the opportunity to serve the people of Iowa,” Wintersteen said. “To be out in Clay County and to see what it means to the community members that they would come together and agree that we need to have a new facility here, that really demonstrates the value of extension to the members of the local community here.”
Joining Wintersteen and other ISU staff and alumni was ISU Vice President for Extension and Outreach Jason Henderson. The vice president was thrilled when he first heard about the project, and then was even more so when he pulled up to the building currently being constructed and saw how it was laid out so far.
“I’ll be excited when it’s completed here in 2024, and we can move in and start doing programs and having community events here,” Henderson said. “This is just the first step.”
The new building, Henderson went on to say, will pave the way for new and expanded programs the ISU Extension can offer in Clay County.
“Once you have a new building, then you’re looking at new programs and additional things that go in to really meet the needs of families, farmers and communities,” Henderson said. “For us, the next step is going through once the structure is done and going, ‘What do we need to do to meet the needs of the 21st century for our families and our farmers and our communities, and how do we go about doing that?'”
Regional Director for ISU Extension in Clay County Beth Frankenstein thought it was great to have ISU leadership at Monday’s celebration. It demonstrates the leaders understand the importance of ISU Extension out in the counties.
“It is our mission to bring Iowa State University to the communities,” Frankenstein said. This building is a symbol that we are here for the future, and everyone believes firmly in that mission.”
The extension’s new office will sit on 2 acres of land on West 18th Street beside Northwest Bank, which was already been purchased for $80,000 with the extension’s own funds. The building was designed to fit 100 individuals standing and 75 seating, along with nine offices for its staff. The total cost of the project is approximately $1.2 million, and the Clay County office has already raised approximately $600,000.
“We’re really excited about that,” Frankenstein said. “Our initial goal was $450,000, so we’ve exceeded that. Now we’re hoping to get to $800,000.”
With the building still under construction, Clay County’s ISU Extension office hopes to move into the facility by Jan. 1.
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Wintersteen speaks with fellow ISU staff and alumni as they check out the new building site.
The new building for ISU Extension and Outreach in Clay County is being constructed on West 18th Street.
