A small lake that will be built south of Gretna is a big deal, state and local officials say.

The dam and park is the first project in the four-state region of Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas to be selected for final review and funding in a new competitive grant program through the Federal Emergency Management Agency that supports more resilient communities. The states didn’t win a competitive grant last year, and so far, this dam is the only one among the four states to win final approval for the grants being distributed this year. (The states did receive some FEMA funding through set-aside money.)

So on Thursday morning, it was time to celebrate.

U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, Gov. Pete Ricketts, the regional head of FEMA and other state and local officials announced the news at a press conference in Omaha.