Kids Campus opens its doors

GRUNDY CENTER – After a long reconstruction phase, Grundy Community Preschool started classes in the Kids Campus on Monday, Jan. 23, as announced in a press release last week.

“Hearing laughter in the building on Monday warmed my heart,” said Melody Hoy, president of Maroon & White, Inc., the group behind the reconstruction of the old Upper Elementary building in Grundy Center. “Having the kids back in the building is a proud day. … [A]fter nearly four years of planning and work, this day has finally come to fruition.”

The building includes a commercial kitchen/laundry, additional classrooms, an elevator, an ADA-compliant playground and gym with pickleball and half-courts for basketball.

One of the other new additions to the building was shown off when Grundy Center lost power on Jan. 24, as backup batteries lit up the outside of the building.

The former Upper Elementary on the corner of 8th and J Avenue in Grundy Center is a 33,000-square-foot, two-story brick building built in 1939. It served as the town’s high school, junior high and elementary school over the years.

Now, it will host a variety of services, including Head Start, AEA, Grundy Family YMCA programs; Grundy Center Community School District, the City of Grundy Center and Grundy Center Community Preschool and Child Care.

Data shows that on average, tenants of the building represent five total counties - all communities in Grundy County and various towns in Black Hawk, Butler, Hardin and Tama counties.

Grundy Center Mayor Paul Eberline praised Maroon & White for their work on this project.

“Daycare and preschool are two of the biggest needs the city has had for some time,” Eberline added. “The ability to serve so many communities, as well as the ability to expand services with the Kids Campus in Grundy Center is amazing.”

Maroon & White, Inc. is still fundraising to reach completion on funding the long-term project. Donations can be made at https://gofund.me/793ad80a or by mailing to Maroon & White, Inc., ATT: Kristy Sawyer, Board Treasurer, 703 F Avenue, Ste 2, Grundy Center, IA 50638. Maroon & White is also active on its Facebook page, where fundraising opportunities are detailed.

An open house and ribbon cutting ceremony is planned for the 2023 Felix Grundy Festival, with further details yet to be determined.