Eight Iowa towns are receiving help with economic development.

Jeff Schott, the director of the University of Iowa’s Institute for Public Affairs, is spearheading the project, which is funded by a $250,000 grant from the state’s Strengthening Communities Fund.

The main goal will be to create a customized plan for each town that can then be used for future development of other Iowa communities.

Currently, the project has finished the first phase of meeting with people from each community to develop a basic outline of goals and an overall vision.

Some of the communities have expressed interest in increasing tourism, raising the overall quality of life, and improving downtown development.

The eight towns, all of which have fewer 5,000 people, are: Belle Plaine, Chariton, Pocahontas, Prairie City, Donnellson, Franklin, Montrose, and West Point.

— by Max Freund