Community event center part of ongoing revitalization efforts in Lindsay

LINDSAY - Ever since the Lindsay Area Development non-profit was founded in 2017, its goal has been simple.

Revitalize the town of just of 250 in Platte County.

"What we were seeing in the community was declining enrollment in the school, businesses leaving, business owners wanting to retire but not finding someone to take over," says LAD treasurer/secretary Jenny Korth.

"We pointed out what we could prioritize of our needs, and since we were a starting non-profit, what we could best tackle first," says LAD president Amber Klassen.

Since 2017, they've seen a lot of success. Businesses have returned to downtown. New housing developments are going in. There's even a new walking trail planned near the local park.

But the next project is LAD's most ambitious, a 39,000 sq. ft. event and wellness center to be constructed on donated land on Lindsay's north side. It's a huge undertaking. But LAD says the time is right.

"We've been able to go through every single project or need that the community identified," says Korth. "With the success that we were seeing we knew that this was a good time to tackle the next one, which was the event and wellness center."

The center is designed to be a one-stop facility for local performing arts, sports, and events. It carries as of now as estimated price tag just shy of $13 million. The fundraising and grant-writing efforts are well underway, and LAD says the response has been tremendous.

"We are thankful," says Klassen. "Without the donations and the commitments of hours in community service it would be really hard to be where we are today."

LAD says they're not surprised that their little town can see such big success.

"We've got a long history of coming together when things get tough," Korth says. "I think that's a little bit ingrained in the community."

"The time, the willingness to work hard and the skill set that we have is one thing that is completely unique," Klassen adds. "Everyone steps up when it needs to happen."

LAD says if all goes as planned, ground should be broken on the new event and wellness center sometime this summer.