Webster County: Making room for more
Badger continues to add homes, Dayton builds Events Center
-Messenger file photo by Kelli Bloomquist <br> ABOVE: Dayton Mayor Dave Bills stands next to the ground broken for the new Dayton Events Center. The new building will be located near the current Oak Park Golf Course Clubhouse and will be able to be used as a meeting and party space
-Messenger file photo by Hans Madsen <br>The annual Badger Fest parade gets underway in August with the color guard leading the way.
-Messenger file photo by Kelli Bloomquist <br> ABOVE: Dayton Mayor Dave Bills stands next to the ground broken for the new Dayton Events Center. The new building will be located near the current Oak Park Golf Course Clubhouse and will be able to be used as a meeting and party space
-Messenger file photo by Hans Madsen <br>The annual Badger Fest parade gets underway in August with the color guard leading the way.
Trending
Badger
New houses have been going up in Badger.
Badger's housing development began in 2017 and has created 16 lots for sale.
"At this time we have I believe 13 of the 16 lots of houses with them," said Glenda Rasmussen, Badger's City Clerk.
The new housing addition is a 24.5-acre site on the southeast side of the city in northern Webster County. It's called Badger Ridge.
Ground was broken for the new addition in September 2017.
The plan calls for 35 lots for homes there.
Other developments for Badger include repairs to the water plant facility and lagoon lift station as well as new control systems at both places. Pumps have also been replaced at the lift station along with some gate valves in the lagoon station with the rest of the valves budgeted to be replaced in 2026.
Dayton
Dayton is still busy with the construction of the new Events Center. The building will be located south of the current Oak Park Golf Course Clubhouse.
"My dream is that this Events Center will bring in people from throughout the area," said Dayton Mayor Dave Bills. "I want the Events Center to be able to host weddings, receptions, graduations, and birthday parties. We're hoping that it will serve a whole new menu than what we currently do. We want this Events Center to draw people into Dayton."
The city of Dayton and the Dayton Community Club were awarded a Destination Iowa grant by the Iowa Economic Development Authority in March 2023 for $800,000 to be used for improvements to Oak Park and the Events Center.
That total is 34 percent of the total project investment of $2,372,703, according to the IEDA.
"We have a great City Council and they've been very supportive," said Bills. "The Webster County Board of Supervisors have been a great help with the bike trail and they're helping to support this. They see the importance of having a nice place like this in a small town like Dayton."