Who paid for the parks second transformation?
A. A fundraising team led by Hensley, businessman Jim Cownie and attorney Steve Zumbach generated about $6.5 million for the sculpture parks construction. Most of that sum came from corporate and private donations, but the state awarded the project a $1 million Vision Iowa grant. Polk County contributed $100,000, and the city kicked in $500,000 left over from the original Western Gateway funds. The Pappajohns requested that the publics share of the cost be limited. The money was raised before the financial meltdown, and there was some good momentum and a good level of optimism in the community, Cownie said. I think people who looked at the project recognized it as an important thing for their hometown.
