BOONE, Iowa—The agenda at the public forum held for the proposed Recreational Wellness Center in Boone Thursday evening was quickly changed when Boone Mayor John Slight was recognized and he announced to the audience and those viewing on ZOOM that Fareway Stores Incorporated had pledged $2 million to the project.  Slight told KWBG that he and many other city officials have been in talks with Fareway for some time. Slight told those on hand that because of the pledge, the proposed franchise fee to pay for the bond would be reduced from 3% to 2%.

Slight went on to say that he wanted to thank Reynolds Cramer, Garret Piklapp and all the leadership at Fareway for showing the community their support. He noted the pledge is the largest that Fareway has made for any similar project and shows their commitment to Boone.

Slight has been involved with efforts to fundraise and he said he hopes the Fareway pledge will help spur others to step up and show support for the project.

The fundraising announcement dominated the beginning of the meeting, but much of the balance turned to a virtual tour of the concept by Kirk Moe with Denovo Construction Solutions and Dave Abler, Architect with Studio MELEE. Moe emphasized during the virtual tour that it’s only conceptual and will change. He also noted that specifics on showers, rest rooms and similar features, are items that will be included in the final design.

The agenda had listed discussion about parking concerns and competition with local businesses, but neither issue was talked about. At that time, the basic business portion of the public forum was adjourned and city staff and the ZOOM stream was ended. That was followed by a presentation from former City Council member Greg Piklapp, who is heading up the “Vote Yes” Committee. He presented information about the work the committee will be undertaking during the short time remaining before the special election on March 1st.