OELWEIN - Four first-year legislators hope that in time they can change the minds of young Iowans like Mike Hansen.

The high school senior is working at Grandview Nursing Center for the summer as a nursing assistant. After graduation, he plans to pursue a nursing degree. Like many young Iowans, he plans for that to be somewhere far away from home.

"There's nothing here. There's not much to do," he said. "There are not very many opportunities in Oelwein. You almost have to travel 30 to 40 minutes to get a decent enough job."

Hansen was exercising at Williams Enrichment Center's fitness center Thursday while Reps. McKinley Bailey, D-Webster City; Elesha Gayman, D-Davenport; Tyler Olson, D-Cedar Rapids; and Andrew Wenthe, D-Hawkeye, toured the building.

The legislators, all younger than 30, visited several projects in Iowa, including University of Northern Iowa's Regional Business and Small Business Development Center, to promote the Generation Iowa Commission, which will be formed next month.

In addition to making recommendations to lawmakers on policies that attract and retain the next generation of Iowans, the commission will study why young people leave and where they're moving to, whether it is out of state or to Iowa's biggest cities.

Wenthe praised the five-year-old Williams Enrichment Center for offering services and amenities that young families and employers find appealing when they're looking to relocate. The 60,836-square-foot center houses a fitness center, performing arts facility, day care service, early childhood education and Northeast Iowa Community College classrooms.

"In my mind, Oelwein's a town that's thinking outside the box," he said. "We need some of these amenities to draw people back to rural Iowa. I think of this building as one big amenity for young families."

In recent years, Oelwein also has remodeled its downtown and built a new library. In January, the school board approved final construction plans for a regional math and science academy.

Yet many challenges remain. Wenthe said Iowa Highway 150, which runs through town, needs to be expanded to two lanes in both directions to draw the larger businesses.

"We've had smaller businesses move in. What we want is to land that large company," said Oelwein School District Superintendent, Jim Patera, who guided the tour of the Williams Enrichment Center.

Oelwein's leadership hopes these efforts, along with its quality of life and low cost of living, will help draw young people like Hansen back once they decide to start a family. Until then, Hansen will look elsewhere for opportunities. He said he's not exactly sure yet what he wants, but he knows it's not here - at least not yet.

Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com.