Though you may have recently seen a graduation party held at the Guthrie Activity Center in Guthrie Center, things aren’t all back to normal for the facility.

Since community centers were allowed to reopen due to the Governor’s public health proclamations, the Guthrie Activity Center has been reserved for a few events this past June with some more scheduled this summer. The Center’s Board Secretary Dennis Flanery notes that they are asking those who use the facility to abide by social distancing recommendations, and they are not allowing the public to use any dishes or utensils that would usually be supplied in their kitchen. As it is a community-owned and operated facility, Flanery says they are doing what they can to boost funds without holding any dinner or concert events, “We have put out a little fundraiser, kind of a solicitation to our members at this time. Normally May and June are very busy but really, we had no income in May and we’re going to have just a little income in June. And so we’ve asked some of our members to maybe prepay their membership dues with a little additional donation to help kind of get our operating reserves built back up.”

Flanery mentions they are about halfway completed with their kitchen renovation which was supported recently in part by a $4,000 grant from the Guthrie County Community Foundation. Flanery says the new flooring and appliances still need to be installed, which when completed will finish a multi-year project that included a renovation of the building’s facade, interior, and roof. Flanery thanks all those who have helped support the facility improvements, including the City of Guthrie Center, Utility Board, 10 Squared Women of Guthrie County, and Main Street Iowa.