ELMA, Iowa - The Howard County community is raising money for a multi-part project, and Governor Kim Reynolds is getting an up close look on the progress.

During a roundtable discussion and walk through Friday, members of the Elma Community Complex project committee shared the updates on the clinic that is set to open in about a month. The clinic, which will be operated by Regional Health Services of Howard County, will provide services for well, chronic and acute visits, OB/prenatal care, lab and pharmacy services. The other portion of the project includes renovation of the current gym into a City Clerk's office, a larger library, and expanded daycare.

The Governor remarked of a plan that has had some fairly quick turnaround from when it was conceived just 5 years earlier.

"It's incredible and it's a real testament to the people in the community and their can do spirit and coming together to get things done. This is what we want to see in rural Iowa across the state."

The project is being done not through raising tax dollars, but by private donors and fundraisers.

"We were able to talk about a couple of options too, whether it's the Empower Rural Iowa initiative, the Childcare Grant Fund, maybe some additional ways they can partner with the state that can leverage the private sector dollars they are raising."

The $1.2 million project is being done in 6 phases.