Pottawattamie County ARPA funds used for tourism, nature destination

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (WOWT) - Pottawattamie County is staying in the snow skiing business for now.

At the start of 2022, the Iowa County announced a $3.5 million acquisition of the Mt. Crescent Ski Area just across the river from Omaha.

Eyebrows were raised when they used $2 million dollars of American Rescue Plan Act funds in efforts to reclaim lost tourism during COVID.

But it’s not just the ski area they were buying, it’s the land that it sits on.

”It’s important because it is in the globally significant Loess Hills, said Mark Shoemaker, the Executive Director of Pottawattamie Conservation. “It’s immediately adjacent to Hitchcock Nature Center, so we will be adding trails and what not to connect to Mt. Crescent, we weren’t really thinking we’d be running a ski area but that’s just kind of what we have to do at this point in time and it’s it’s going to be a great adventure for us.”

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