Members of the Gowrie Development Commission like to talk about “putting the go in Gowrie.”

Now that commission, in partnership with other agencies and private businesses, is doing just that.

There are some exciting things going on in this southern Webster County city that people throughout the area ought to take note of.

After years, perhaps decades, of not having enough housing stock to welcome new families to town, things are now changing quickly on that front. Five new homes are under construction along Sunrise Drive on the city’s east side. In a city of about 1,000 people, the addition of five new houses will have a big impact.

The houses will be completed in September or October. And even after those houses are done, there will still be available lots along Sunrise Drive where more could be built.

The housing construction is a result of a partnership between the Gowrie city government, the Gowrie Development Commission and Origin Homes, of West Des Moines.

A new outdoor recreation opportunity is also in the works for Gowrie.

That opportunity will be in the form of a paved trail that will be constructed this fall.

That trail will begin at the intersection of Main Street and Fairbanks Avenue on the city’s northwest side and extend 5,800 feet east to Walnut Street. There is an option to extend the trail another 1,400 feet east to end near the firehouse on Main Street.

It will be a 10-foot wide paved trail.

This project is a partnership between Gowrie and Webster County. The county has received six bids for the project, and all of them are lower than the cost estimate for the work.The county Board of Supervisors is expected to award a contract for the work this month.

We look forward to seeing the new homes and the completed trail.

Through hard work, persistence and partnerships, the people of Gowrie are moving their community forward.

In doing so, they are setting an example for other communities in the area.