Funding Secured For 'Glenwood' Sign On Highway34
The 6-foot high, 30-foot wide limestone “Glenwood” sign will be located along eastbound Highway 34, visible to motorists as they approach the Glenwood exit. (Courtesy - Ebmeier Engineering).
Several entities are helping fund the “Glenwood” sign on Highway 34. Front row (from left): Adam Miller (Estimator, Leick Construction), Glenwood City Administrator / Finance Director Amber Farnan, Grant Dean (Glenwood State Bank) and Sarah Beth Ray (Southwest Iowa Advisor, Community Foundations of Southwest Iowa). Back row: Sam Wagner (Business and Community Development Manager, MidAmerican Energy), Mills County Supervisor Carol Vinton, Michelle Grassau (Senior Director, Mills County YMCA), Mills County Chamber Of Commerce Executive Director Jennie Davis, Mills County Supervisor Lonnie Mayberry and Tim Galligan (Project Officer, Iowa West Foundation).
All of the funding has now been secured for a lighted “Glenwood” sign planned for eastbound Highway 34 near the Glenwood exit.
A $15,000 grant from the Iowa West Foundation and a $5,000 pledge from Glenwood State Bank recently put the project over the top. The 6-foot tall by 30-foot wide sign will be made from limestone and be similar to the “Malvern” sign on Highway 34.
Michelle Grassau and some fellow graduates of the Mills County Chamber Of Commerce’s leadership program have spearheaded the project over the past 18 months.
“It was a huge undertaking,” Grassau said. “It was my first time doing something like this with the city and the county. It was a huge learning experience for me, so I’m glad that I was able to be part of the chamber leadership and going through the process, see it to the end.”
The “process” included having the site south of Highway 34 surveyed by the Iowa Department of Transportation and getting permission to put the sign on state right of way. An agreement has been reached to turn ownership of the sign over to the City of Glenwood once it’s been installed.
The word “Glenwood” will be in black lettering with solar-powered “halo” lighting behind the letters.
“It will shine bright at night,” Grassau said.
Funding for the sign is coming from multiple sources – City Of Glenwood ($5,000), Mills County ($5,000), Iowa West Foundation ($15,000), Community Foundations Of Southwest Iowa ($10,000), Glenwood State Bank ($5,000), MidAmerican Energy ($2,500) and Glenwood RAGBRAI 2024 ($490). Leick Construction and Ebemeier Engineering have contributed services and expertise to the project.
Total cost of the project is $45,990.
In addition to Grassau, Chloe Hammers, Amber McClary and Kelsi Leininger have been part of the team working behind the scenes to make the sign become a reality.
Mills County Chamber Of Commerce Executive Director Jennie Davis said the sign could be in place in a matter of months. Leick Construction is expected to start work at the site in August.
“We’re ready to go,” Davis said.