Officials say construction work is on schedule for the planned September 8 opening of the state’s first “destination park” on Rathbun Lake in south-central Iowa.
Jeremie Slagle, general manager of the Honey Creek Resort State Park, says the final touches are underway on the 105 room lodge, restaurant and convention center.
“They’re down to doing everything inside like putting in carpet or putting down tile in the restaurant kitchen,” Slagle said. The resort also includes an R-V park, an indoor water park and an 18 hole golf course. Plans call for construction of 29 one-to-four bedroom cabins in the Fall. Flooding across Iowa this summer slowed some of the work on the nearly $60 million project.
Slagle says the wet weather delayed laying concrete and flooded-out bridges, roads and railroads in eastern Iowa hampered efforts to obtain various supplies. The state hired Central Group Companies of St. Cloud, Minnesota to manage the resort. Slagle says his company is in the midst of hiring up to 125 employees from Appanoonse, Monroe and surrounding counties. The resort is already getting plenty of business.
Slagle says tourists have booked rooms in the lodge in anticipation of the September opening. “We also have several state conventions booked, a lot of corporate business booked, some corporate golf outings, several weddings, family reunions and even some Christmas parties going into 2009 already booked,” Slagle said. There’s a Honey Creek reservations website where visitors can now book reservations.