To the editor:

In response to the July 6, 2024, editorial: “Effort is needed to address abandoned buildings, homeless”. Preserve Fort Dodge, Inc. echoes this concern regarding abandoned buildings and homelessness. The issue is exactly what Preserve Fort Dodge, an Iowa non-profit corporation, is working to address.

The purpose of Preserve Fort Dodge is “to oversee and/or assist in steps for preservation, adaptive reuse and/or rehabilitation of vacant buildings within Fort Dodge to ensure their future use and viability for the betterment of our community.” We are starting with Sacred Heart Catholic Church. It may not seem like the most imminent property to start, but it is the most realistic for a non-profit starting from scratch. We see Sacred Heart as an important piece of the community due to its history, relatively good structural standing, and being situated in the heart of our historic community. We hope in the future to address other properties and other community needs such as housing, and in the meantime are requesting the public’s support of our efforts.

In addition to forming important partnerships with the Community Foundation, City of Fort Dodge, Iowa Central Community College, and others – we are in the process of setting up a project website, finalizing our tax exempt status, and hiring an architect to complete a rehabilitation plan that will tell us what we need to do to open the Sacred Heart building doors for another use. We know one of many improvements needed is the roof – the leaking is causing damage to the structure’s interior. We’ve raised funds for portions of the roof and are applying for an emergency grant for the other portions, and will have many additional costs for full building rehabilitation.

With this all being said, we feel this project is an important incremental step to addressing the issue of abandoned buildings in Fort Dodge. If interested, please show your support and help us better our community by sending a tax-deductible donation to:

Fort Dodge Community Foundation

Sacred Heart Fund

24 N Ninth St

Suite B

Fort Dodge, IA 50501

Stay tuned for more updates on this project. Feel free to contact any one of Preserve Fort Dodge’s members for questions:

Carissa Harvey, President

Tracy Crimmins, Vice President

Craig Schlienz, Treasurer

Jennifer Becker, Secretary

David Flattery

Anne Kersten

Eric Doyle

Matthew Maggio

Brooke Flattery

Jim Kersten

Chad Schaeffer

Monsignor Kevin McCoy