Iowa governor Kim Reynolds visits Siouxland

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - While in the Siouxland area, Governor Kim Reynolds was promoting two projects the state funded: A new water system and an expansion to the Boys and Girls Club of Siouxland.

The first part of the Governor’s day was centered on the Lewis Clark Regional Water System. While in Sioux Center, Governor Kim Reynolds said state funds will allow the base version of system to be completed. Iowa received those funds under the American Rescue Plan Act, which appropriated funds to the states for infrastructure purposes.

However, Reynolds says South Dakota and Minnesota must chip in funds before an expansion of the system can be completed.

The base system connects 20 cities throughout Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota, and should be fully completed by 2025 at the latest.

“It really will help move up the timeline and help deliver what we’ve been working on for a long time. So I was really excited about it. We still have work to do, so we’re not going to stop,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Reynolds said she’ll have calls with Minnesota and South Dakota governors, though there’s no guarantee those states will appropriate funds for the expansion.

After she visited Sioux Center, the Governor drove south to Sioux City for another project at the Boys and Girls Club of Siouxland. She says state funds were used to help the club build an extension.

The extension will have a game room, recording studio, and other features where kids can play and learn new skills. Reynolds says she hopes the state will spend additional dollars to fund similar projects across the state.

“And the Childcare Innovation Fund is one of those, with the two allocations that we’ve done, it’s created over 9000 plus new childcare openings. And so it’s still a great start, but there’s still a lot of need,” said Reynolds.

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