Lieutenant Governor tours upper story apartments in Conrad

A loft apartment overlooking downtown buildings may be commonly associated with urban living, but the trend is also taking root in some of the state’s smaller communities.
           
During a stop in Conrad last Wednesday afternoon, Iowa Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg toured recently renovated upper story apartments on Main Street and praised developer Dan Shine for his investment in rural Iowa.
           
“I’m glad he’s here and has an interest in developing our small towns, because that’s what we need,” Shine said.
           
Along with members of his staff, Conrad Mayor Jeff Martin and Chamber-Main Street Director Krista Grant, Gregg touted Governor Kim Reynolds’s efforts to spark development in areas outside of Des Moines and the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City corridor.
           
“We’re very proud of Des Moines, the suburbs around it and the other big cities, but we also want to make sure that there are great opportunities in our small towns. We’re both products of small towns: (Reynolds) grew up in St. Charles, and I grew up in Hawarden, towns that are a lot like Conrad,” Gregg said. “Sometimes, you think upper story housing is something that’s exclusively the domain of Des Moines or Cedar Rapids, but it can work in small towns.” 
 
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