(Ottumwa, Iowa) – During a ground-breaking ceremony on May 31, Cobblestone Hotels and Ottumwa Hospitality LLC officially began the construction phase of Ottumwa’s new Cobblestone Hotel & Suites MainStreet.

In his opening remarks, Ottumwa Mayor Rick Johnson said, “This project has been a long time coming. I’m very pleased that this project has finally come to the point where we can see it get started. This has been a community project involving several local investors and the (Ottumwa Regional) Legacy Foundation. It is a $10 million investment in our community. The economic impact is going to greatly benefit our community, and it’s going to be a game changer for Bridge View Center.”

“This hotel development has been a true, community-spirited project with many community leaders and organizations behind it,” said Bridge View Center Executive Director Scott Hallgren. “We are so excited about our future and the opportunities available to us with this new hotel.”

The 83-room, 4-story hotel located on the Bridge View Center campus will take approximately 13 months to build, beginning in the next few days. The MainStreet brand is Cobblestone’s upper-scale line, complete with full-service restaurant and bar. It will include Iowa’s first Wissota Chophouse, which will seat 80-90 people, and the on-site beer and wine bar will feature 20 microbrews from Iowa breweries.