MAIN STREET IOWA GRANTS ANNOUNCED
Fourteen Communities Selected for Project Awards
Des Moines , Iowa , February 3, 2007 — The Iowa Department of Economic Development today announced that $800,000 will be awarded to 14 Iowa communities through a fund administered by the Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa. The funding is part of a $990,000 award to the Department that will be distributed in the form of Challenge Grants, training, and technical assistance to all participating Main Street communities.
Senator Tom Harkin joined Governor Chester Culver and Interim IDED Director Mike Tramontina, to make the announcement during a special check presentation ceremony held at the Des Moines Botanical Center . The grants will benefit local improvement projects with a combined total investment of nearly $3 million.
“The Challenge Grant program helps communities preserve and honor the past while making enormous strides toward the future economic health of not only the immediate community, but the region and the state,” said Governor Culver. “The amount of financing contributed at the local level to complete these projects is strong testimony that Iowans have pride in their communities and are dedicated to creating a vibrant place to live.”
Senator Tom Harkin said, “One of the great challenges we face – not just here in Iowa but all across America – is preserving the character and vitality of our small towns. This isn't just about economics. It is also about our identity as Iowans. That's why this program is in a class by itself. It is smart. It is effective. It offers hope. And it touches communities and people in very concrete ways.”
The Challenge Grant program is funded through an appropriation from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Since the first appropriation in 2002, this program has awarded a total of $2.5 million and has leveraged approximately $15 million in local investments. The most recent appropriation of $990,000 was nearly double the amount received in each of the three previous years.
For more information about the Challenge Grant program, contact Jane Seaton, State Coordinator, Main Street Iowa, at 515.242.4756 or jane.seaton@iowalifechanging.com .
2006 HUD Challenge Grant Recipients
(select the thumbnail images to view full-sized images)
Community |
Award |
Total Project Cost |
Project Description |
Bonaparte
|
$15,000 |
$48,250 |
Stabilization of 153 year old Hopkins building |
Burlington
|
75,000 |
175,000 |
Renovation of former library by the Des Moines Co. Historical Society |
Cedar Falls
|
50,000 |
186,000 |
219-221 Main Street removal of blue-glazed brick and façade renovation |
Central City
|
37,500 |
87,500 |
Rehabilitation of former Gambles building |
Corning
|
60,000 |
159,800 |
Weatherization of historic Opera House exterior |
Dubuque
|
80,000 |
353,000 |
Second story renovation of the Caradco Millwork Warehouse |
Hamilton Co. SEED
|
60,000 |
272,871 |
626-628 Main Street , Jewell, stabilization of building |
Hampton
|
60,000 |
431,400 |
Renovation of façade and interior of 105 year old Myers Block building |
Marshalltown
|
60,000 |
227,930 |
Renovation of the sign, marquee and lobby of the historic Orpheum RKO Theatre |
Mason City
|
60,000 |
271,318 |
Exterior restoration of the former Parker Opera House |
Oskaloosa
|
80,000 |
264,000 |
Façade renovation of the historic Iowa bank building |
Waverly
|
60,000 |
249,384 |
Exterior and interior renovation of 98 E. Bremer Avenue |
West Branch
|
42,000 |
112,000 |
Refurbishment of historic Hoover House for use as a bakery/café plus upper story units |
West Des Moines
|
60,000 |
260,000 |
Infrastructure for a fire protection sprinkler system in a series of contiguous buildings on Fifth Street |
Governor Culver and Senator Harkin at Main Street Awards
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