Morning Sun, IA

The Horizons project has helped Morning Sun focus on what is important to the community and the community feels it is very important to have a community center. The Community Development group meets regularly to create a working plan for a community center. So far the group has secured an architectural drawing from a former Morning Sun resident and they are working with Southeast Iowa Planning to secure funding for the project. The Community Center will be a gathering place for youth and seniors and it will provide the opportunity for programs for all people. The Community Center will be terrific asset for people in poverty in Morning Sun because they will have a place to meet and become a part of the community and they will not have to travel. The center will also provide a meeting place for youth to gather outside of school.

Throughout the Horizons process, in Study Circles, and LeadershipPlenty, groups have struggled with transportation issues in Morning Sun. Transportation is often a big problem for people who are in poverty and people who are close to poverty. A group of concerned citizens met to discuss how to solve this issue in Morning Sun and after much discussion they came to realize that they have resources such as the local area BUS service but few people understand how the system works. So the group is partnering with Southeast Iowa Regional Planning and will be offering a training day for the BUS service. They will train different church groups and community organizations so there will be a large group of residents familiar with the system. They are also creating articles for the local paper and instructions to give to new residents and new public transportation users.

Currently the Horizons group is looking to create a grocery co-op in Morning Sun. The local grocery store recently lost their distribution contract and will need to purchase supplies from another distributor that is much more expensive. Given the increase in expenses the current owner/manager will probably be forced out of business. This could create a significant hardship for Morning Sun residents who can not afford to drive to another town for their groceries. The Horizons group developed a task force to explore grocery options in other small communities and present the information at a town meeting. The meetings purpose was to inform the residents of shopping habits, transportation costs, and all costs related to or hidden when buying goods out of town. The hope is to encourage residents in Morning Sun to “buy local” and create a sense of ownership.

Welcome to the blog! I will be posting information on the Morning Sun Horizons Project. The project is about “community leadership that can act to reverse your town’s economic and population decline, and thrive.” I am looking forward to sharing more information with you in the coming weeks.

Roxanne Bappe