DAYTON — Moving dirt and rock at Dayton's Oak Park Golf Course has been two years in the making, with heavy machinery finally laying the foundation for the multi-million-dollar Dayton Events Center.
The new building will be located just south of the current Oak Park Golf Course clubhouse and will be twice the size of the structure currently occupied.
“My dream is for this events center to bring people from all over the region.” “We are thrilled to be working with Dayton's Mayor Dave Bills,” he said. “We want the event center to be able to host weddings, receptions, graduations, birthday parties and more. We want to offer a new menu that's completely different from what we offer now. We want the event center to bring people to Dayton.”
The City of Dayton and the Dayton Community Club were awarded an $800,000 Destination Iowa grant in March 2023 from the Iowa Department of Economic Development to be used for improvements to Oak Park and the Events Center.
According to IEDA, this total represents 34 percent of the project's total investment of $2,372,703.
“We are committed to raising additional funds.” Bills said. “New grant applications were sent out just last week, and Jacob Billund, pro bono legal counsel for the Dayton Community Club, has been working hard with our council members to identify new funding and develop fundraising opportunities.”
A fundraising campaign to help fund the interior of the building will begin soon, Bills said.
“Our city council is great and they've been very supportive.” Bills said. “The Webster County Board of Supervisors has been very supportive of the bike trail and has been instrumental in supporting this project. They understand the importance of having a nice place like this in a small town like Dayton.”
When completed, the Dayton Events Center will house the clubhouse for the golf course, which just celebrated its first year of year-round operation.
“We opened the clubhouse last year and it was a very successful year.” Bills said. “The golf course and clubhouse have done very well over the last few years. We've seen an increase in the number of people camping in Oak Park.”
Bills said the current clubhouse is still in good condition and the city council is considering how to use it in the future.
The timeline for the new events center is still in flux, but Bills hopes to open it to the public in fall 2025.
A unique change to this timeline and in Oak Park is that the area where construction has begun is typically used as parking for the upcoming Dayton Rodeo. Bills said the parking lot for the new event center will be completed in time for the rodeo and will be able to accommodate parking vehicles. The building's foundation and piping will be roped off from cars and rodeo attendees.
“We have a backup plan.” Bills said. “If there are too many people, we'll go around to the back of the golf course or to the old Landas site south of town and shuttle people around with golf carts and side-by-sides.”
Bills praised state Sen. Jesse Green, R-Boone, and Webster County Supervisor Mark Campbell for their support of the project and for the bike trail project that will lead to the event center.