North Lee foundation gives another $250K to LCHD/EMS build

LEE COUNTY – The new Lee County Health Department/EMS facility got another boost from a local non-profit Monday.
At the regular meeting of the Lee County Board of Supervisors, now being held at 3 p.m. on Mondays and not 4 p.m, or 10 a.m., North Lee County Community Foundation CEO Roger Ricketts presented the board with another $250,000.
The amount mirrors a check with the same amount the group gave the board of supervisors last fall, bringing the foundation’s contributions to date to half a million.
That money is being added to the county’s one million in remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds, about $3 million in USDA assistance, and a $600,000 Community Development Block Grant for about $5.1 million towards the $6 million building.
But Ricketts said they weren’t done.
“We made a commitment to raise $500,000 and we’ve done so for the county and we want to celebrate that,” he said. “We’re not going to stop helping raising money for the health department building. I’ve got lots of grants to write. We have been gratified by the number of donors that have responded to the appeal.”
He said checks are coming in ranging from $100 to $25,000.
“Once you start a building project, dollars come out of the closet to help out. And that’s so important,” he said.

“I probably will be coming back from time to time with additional checks. Maybe not as big as this one, from time to time I will. We want to see this project done.”
Supervisor Chuck Holmes said the foundation isn’t billing the county for any of the work.
The foundation also distributed $1.4 million in grants and scholarships to many organizations and all those funds come from private donors.
“We have lots of people who contribute and give,” Ricketts said.
He also mentioned the work of former Foundation board member Joe Kowzan, who died this past weekend.
Construction on the facility is currently underway in the 5000 block of Avenue O on Fort Madison’s west side.
County Maintenance Director Mark Klesner said the walls and trusses for the roof on the EMS bays are up. The roof on the bays will be completed this week. There has been flooring poured with some additional work in that area planned for the next several weeks. Walls have also been delivered to the site.
They are anticipating a completion date of October of this year.