The Iowa Economic Development Authority board approved Friday a job creation award for a Sioux Center manufacturer and six awards aimed at enhancing quality of life and tourism opportunities in the state.

Service Trucks International Inc., which manufactures truck bodies used in the mobile equipment repair industry, plans to increase capacity at its Sioux Center facility with the construction of a 56,000-square-foot building. The new facility will be used for manufacturing of telescoping service cranes, personnel support, indoor product testing and outbound shipping.

The project represents a capital investment of $9 million and is expected to create six jobs, of which two are incented at a qualifying wage of $26.24 per hour. The board awarded the company tax benefits through the High Quality Jobs (HQJ) program.

Two Destination Iowa grants were awarded Friday, one to the Iowa Soccer Development Foundation (ISDF) for the proposed Pro Iowa Soccer Stadium and Global Plaza in downtown Des Moines and one to a museum in Manly.

The ISDF received a $5 million grant for construction costs, but the project still faces an $18 million gap, the Business Record reported Friday.

The Manly Junction Railroad Museum received a $1.8 million grant to help build a new 19,500-square-foot museum and event center. The total project cost is nearly $7.3 million.

The board also awarded Sports Tourism grants to Newton Community Events for two racing events. A $437,500 grant was awarded for the IndyCar Race Weekend with a total project cost of $875,000, and a $50,000 grant was awarded for the NASCAR Cup Series Weekend, whose total cost is $100,000.

The Cherokee County Conservation Board and the city of Lenox received Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grants, which provide financial assistance to communities for the construction of recreational, cultural, educational or entertainment facilities.

The Cherokee conservation board received $35,000 for construction of a $185,000 trap field support building at the Licklider Shooting Complex in Cherokee. The building will provide viewing areas and amenities for visitors during public use and events.

The city of Lenox was awarded $62,000 to pave a three-quarters mile, 8-foot-wide trail to connect the trail to the community. The $313,000 project combines previously completed sections of an existing trail, totaling nearly 3 miles.