Two years after it was severely damaged by a flood, the Black Cultural Center has taken a large step toward reopening.

In a City Council meeting Nov. 22, the center, located at 517 Welch Ave., was given $20,000 to repair the damage caused by the 2003 flood, which was caused by an inoperative sewer line.

At the same time, the university pledged another $20,000 to help with repairs to the center, which is currently not being used.

Ames Mayor Ted Tedesco said he met with ISU President Gregory Geoffroy and Government of the Student Body President Angela Groh to discuss the plight of the center.

“They had estimates to repair that damage, but they would’ve not had any funds to actually carry out their programs,” Tedesco said.

He said the city, along with the university and GSB, decided to give money to the program because people sometimes lose their cultural identity when they move to a new place.

“The importance of the center is that we struggle on an ongoing basis with the diversity of our community,” he said. “[It’s also important] to overcome some of the common things that happen to people of different backgrounds when they come to our community.”

He said the Black Cultural Center would be used by many people in Ames, which is why the city is interested in helping.

“Also, the Black Cultural Center is not only used by the black community, but also by other communities within Iowa State and the Ames community.”

Thomas Hill, vice president of student affairs, has been a key part of the process to reopen the center, and said the university has been doing its part to help.

He said the university has given money to the center and is doing assessments on the property.

Hill said he didn’t know when the center would be reopened because another assessment needs to be done by Facilities Planning and Management to see what repairs are required.

One such assessment has already been done, but another is required to see if anything has changed.

“They have to go back in to determine if anything has gotten any worse since they did [the last] assessment,” he said.

The center has enough money to cover the costs indicated in the last assessment, he said, but if anything has changed it might need more.

“If what was estimated earlier holds true, the answer to that would be no,” he said. “If everything is the same, we’re OK. If there have been any changes to increase the cost, we’re going to have to look at that.”

Jonnell Marion, president of the Black Student Alliance, said the facility has been closed for too long and the university needs to continue to do its part to help.

“If Iowa State is concerned about diversity, it would be able to make [the administration] pull their weight to make sure the Black Cultural Center is open, or at least breaks ground by next semester,” said Marion, junior in marketing.

Marion also said the center is an important to the community.

“It emphasizes diversity, it emphasis the symbol of acceptance of different people,” he said. “There is a black history that needs to be exposed at Iowa State. It needs to be solidified, it needs to be treasured.”