Community effort in bringing new residential complex to groundbreaking reality ...

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday, November 7 signifying the beginning of work at the site of a new 36-unit apartment complex being constructed by Dexter Quandahl of Quandahl Custom Homes/q4 Rentals along the new 8th Avenue SW in Waukon, just north of the Waukon City Park and west of the Waukon Mobile Home Community in part of the area deemed as the Pladsen Addition. The apartment complex will initially include two buildings housing 18 apartments each that have been described as “workforce housing” and not intended to be low-income housing, benefiting not only the Waukon area but the northeast Iowa and tri-state region in helping address a housing need expressed by area employers in such areas as school districts, healthcare and other industry and professional staffing necessities.

The housing project was awarded $1 million in tax credit funding by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) through the Workforce Housing Tax Credit Program, a competitive grant program the IEDA describes as helping “develop housing in Iowa communities that middle-income households can afford.” Contractors involved with the project say that, weather permitting, ground moving and foundational infrastructure work for the project could begin as early as this week, with concrete foundation work slated to begin next spring and construction of the building structures to follow. Plans are to have this initial project of 36 residential units completed within the next 12 to 18 months, and - through an agreement with the City of Waukon - Quandahl would then have the option of constructing another similar residential complex in that same area that would make a total of 72 such residential units available ranging in size from one- to two-bedroom apartments.

In addition to many of the contractors involved in the construction process of the project, the photo above taken at the November 7 groundbreaking with the construction site lying in the photo background also includes a number of individuals representing some of the numerous entities, businesses and organizations that supported and contributed to bringing the project to reality by serving on housing needs assessments groups, writing letters of support, participating in the grant writing process, and a variety of other means. Left to right - Front row: Patricia Kammeyer, Nelly Cota, Kelli Mudderman and Gayge Samuelson of FreedomBank in Waukon, Ethan Novotny and Shelly Novotny from Ridgeway Lumber, Brandon Mahr from Skyline Construction/Bruening Rock Products, Dexter and Ashley Quandahl from Quandahl Custom Homes/q4 Rentals, Dan McCabe from m6 Electric, Adam Kurth from Kurth Plumbing and Heating, Justin Sweeney and Gail Prestemon from Waukon State Bank, Erik Helgerson from Kerndt Brothers Bank in Waukon, and Allamakee County Economic Development and Tourism Executive Director Val Reinke; Back row: Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission Executive Director Rachelle Howe, Barb Shull from FreedomBank in Waukon, Allamakee County Board of Supervisors Chairperson Dan Byrnes, Waukon Mayor Arvid Hatlan, Waukon City Manager Gary Boden, Allamakee Community School District Superintendent of Schools Jay Mathis, and Veterans Memorial Hospital Administrator and Allamakee County Economic Development Board of Directors President Michael Coyle. Standard photo by Joe Moses.