Geisler elected to REAP Congress
Three members of the St. Patrick Church’s Preservation Committee attended the regional Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) public assembly held at Swan Lake Park conservation center on Oct. 1.
This past summer the Greene County church was a recipient of a Historical Resource Development Program (HRDP) grant to update the heating and cooling elements in the church. HRDP is funded through the REAP program.
REAP includes a public participation component every other year in which program staffers go out into the state and hold public assemblies in 18 different regions, giving all Iowans an opportunity to discuss what their vision is for Iowa’s outdoor recreation, soil and water enhancement, historical resources and land management and more. Greene County is part of Region 12 along with Audubon, Carroll, Crawford, Guthrie and Sac Counties.
Included in the participants were past recipients of REAP grants for projects including historical resources, trails, and conservation projects and representatives of the different area agencies that promote and oversee the grants locally.
“REAP benefits every county every year either through improved water quality, by preserving our historical assets or providing outdoor recreation and it has had a significant impact on the quality of life,” said Tammie Krausman, Iowa’s REAP coordinator.
Participants discussed the program, recommend changes and discussed impacts in their region. Delegates were also selected from the local meeting to attend the REAP Congress in January at the state capitol in Des Moines. Andy Geisler of Churdan was one of those selected. He is pictured with REAP coordinator Krausman.
Each year, REAP provides funding for local projects through a grant process and each year, the requests for city and county grants exceed the amount available by two or three times. Last year, there were 76 applicants for HRDP grants, with only 31 recipients. Since the REAP program debuted in 1989, more than $300 million has been awarded to more than 14,500 projects.
