The City of Sioux City has been awarded more than $104,000 in grant funding from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to develop a campground on the north side of the Sioux City Railroad Museum, adjacent to the Big Sioux River.
The City Council will be presented, for consideration, a (capital improvement program) FY 2024 budget request in the amount of $320,000 to be allocated towards the remaining funding for the property acquisition.”
The City Council will be asked Monday to approve a resolution authorizing the Parks and Recreation Department to accept a Resource Enhancement and Protection Fund grant in the amount of $104,998 for the Big Sioux River Campground development project.
According to city documents, the grant funding will support the purchase of 16.14 acres of land at the base of the First Bluffs of Loess Hills, between Sioux River Road and the Big Sioux River. The RV campground will offer 79 motorhome and trailer campsites, with the potential to serve between 316 and 474 campers. The campsite pads will accommodate motorhomes, toy-haulers, teardrop campers, campervans, fifth-wheel trailers and popup campers.
The Sioux City Railroad Museum will provide overnight tent camping on a five-acre green space lying between the riverbend and the historical railroad zone.
“Due to the awarded funding, the City of Sioux City and the Sioux City Railroad Museum will enter into a development agreement,” the documents state. “The City Council will be presented, for consideration, a (capital improvement program) FY 2024 budget request in the amount of $320,000 to be allocated towards the remaining funding for the property acquisition.”
A 30-acre site, nestled between the Loess Hills and the Big Sioux River, became home to the Sioux City Railroad Museum in 1995. Today, the museum features historic buildings and structures, as well as industrial archaeological sites, industrial heritage objects and a rail yard.
The city also partnered with the Railroad Museum on the Big Sioux/Highway 12 Trail project, a 1.19-mile trail running along the Iowa side of the Big Sioux River. The trail traverses around the outskirts of the museum’s property and runs along Highway 12 to the intersection at Military Road. The trail’s “loop” configuration has terminal points at the intersection of Military Road and River Drive and the intersection of Military Road and Highway 12.
The campground will create a destination for visitors, instill community pride in residents and expand and enhance recreational opportunities to serve residents and tourists, according to the documents.
