One of the things we have noticed here at the Foundation is that, as we continue to make progress in the community, sometimes we are moving quickly from one project to another and not always taking the time to celebrate successes. Well, we took time to celebrate a success last week with the groundbreaking of the Downtown Streetscape Project.

Make no mistake, this is a project that has taken multiple years and many, many partners working together to get underway. It is a major infrastructure overhaul to our downtown with sustainability elements and quality of life components right in the “heart” of our community….and it deserves celebrating!

Special thanks to Mayor Tom Lazio, ORLF President Steve Dust, Main Street Iowa Director Michael Wagler and Main Street Ottumwa Director Fred Zesiger for their comments during the groundbreaking celebration. And, thank you to all of the community members who came out to help us celebrate (even in the 90 degree heat). We look forward to many more of these celebrations and a Streetscape ribbon cutting in the future when our transformation is complete!