A new gazebo at the intersection of 4th Avenue and North Meadow Drive was designed by the New Homestead Low Rent Housing Agency to be a meeting place.
It’s there for residents of the New Homestead’s nearby apartments, for school and university students to stop and hang out together, for community members to rest and visit with others.
The gazebo is finished and open to the public – to anyone who would like to use it. It’s designed as a place to connect with others, according to New Homestead Executive Director Crystallyn Sterler.
“We have been working to try to find a way of bringing the community and our tenants together,” she said. “The vision for this was to find a way to bring both together, an opportunity to showcase the New Homestead as part of the community.”
She envisions people using it for picnics, for visiting with family, playing cards together, or sitting and enjoying the outdoors. During times when the COVID pandemic kept people isolated, tenants at New Homestead didn’t have a place for people to meet outdoors, she added.
“It’s a nice addition not only aesthetically, but also for people to get together,” said New Homestead resident Laura Hale.
The gazebo was built by Bob Ver Mulm of B & S Construction. The New Homestead plans to add lighting and an outlet in the gazebo, and they anticipate decorating it for holidays.
The gazebo was built thanks to contributions from 13 local donors and businesses, which covered more than half the cost, and was funded in part by a Sioux County Community Foundation grant.
“We received a lot of support for this – people were very generous. It shows the community values us and sees the importance of having a space to gather,” Sterler said. “We already have had lots of people stopping by and lots of compliments from the community.”
The New Homestead is an affordable, low-rent, public housing program committed to excellence in assisting seniors, disabled individuals, and families with safe, decent and affordable housing opportunities. The agency has been providing housing in Sioux Center for more than 50 years and has assisted hundreds of individuals and families.