-Messenger file photo
Jason Kahler, of Fort Dodge, left, and Fred Weers, part owners of Lizard Creek Ranch, are seated inside the Ironwood Conference Center.

When the COVID-19 pandemic calms, places like Lizard Creek Ranch will be there for a variety of recreational opportunities to meet the needs of the community.

Weddings, baby showers, birthday parties, conferences, team-building exercises, or a place for construction workers to lay their heads, are some of the uses for the expansive property west of Fort Dodge.

But even before the day comes when the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, the ranch can still accommodate smaller gatherings.

“It’s a multi-purpose recreation venue,” Jason Kahler, of Fort Dodge, said when it opened in the spring of 2019. “There’s so many different things.”

The ranch is located at 1762 Johnson Ave.

Kahler, along with Fred Weers and Jake Hilton, both of Badger, are the owners of Lizard Creek Ranch.

Kahler, a retired Fort Dodge police officer, is the owner of Dale’s Corner Store and Self-Serve Laundromat.

Weers is a realtor and co-owner of CEC Electric. Hilton is co-owner of CEC Electric.

The group took ownership of the 33-acre property in the summer of 2018.

Fifteen separate buildings are located on the former Rabiner Treatment Center property.

Three buildings are rented to Manson Northwest Webster Community School District for a consortium school.

The rest of the buildings are available for rent.

According to Weers, there are six cottages. Three of them are for construction workers. Two are for an event center.

One of the cottages, called Cedar Cottage, has a rustic theme, according to April Cowell.

The cottage was completely remodeled with new furniture and appliances. It accommodates 18 people.

Another cottage next door will have a lodge theme, Cowell said. That one is still undergoing renovations, she said.

Also on the property is Timber Creek Hall, the main event space; and Ironwood Conference Center, used for business meetings.

Timber Creek Hall accommodates 560 people. The IronWood Conference Center accommodates 70.

Companies such as Cargill have used the space for training, Kahler said.

Cost to rent the facilities varies based on the package, according to Cowell.

Cowell said the complex is available for small groups to 1,000 attendees indoors. The campus features large outdoor space for events hosting in the thousands.

Kahler said there’s office space available.

“We have space for about three offices,” he said. “The space would be ideal for a traveling business person.”

Camping and other activities will be part of the amenities at the ranch.

In terms of employees, Weers said the ranch may employ between 10 and 15.

Cowell said Lizard Creek Ranch is unique in the fact that it’s located out in the country, but not too far from Fort Dodge.

“There’s blacktop roads all the way out here,” she said. “It’s quiet.”

Cowell moved from Omaha, Nebraska, to Fort Dodge six years ago with her husband, who is an employee at Cargill.

“The potential of Fort Dodge is really what made our decision to come here,” she said.