Charles City awarded Main Street Technical Assistance grant

To the Press

DES MOINES — The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) on Tuesday awarded $61,000 in technical assistance grants to 12 Main Street Iowa communities, including Charles City. Community Development Director Mark Wicks and City Administrator Steve Diers were on hand at a ceremony held at the Des Moines Botanical Garden to represent Charles City and accept the $4,500 grant from IEDA Director Debi Durham to be used for wayfinding planning and design.

The technical assistance grants are intended to provide professional services to develop projects such as historic research, architectural and engineering services and community and business sign programs.  The grants represent a total investment of over $250,000 in professional services provided to the selected communities.

In Charles City’s case, the Community Revitalization program, in partnership with the City of Charles City, applied for the grant to aid in the planning of a new wayfinding system in town. The grant requires a dollar-for-dollar cash match, which will be provided by the City. Wayfinding is intended to provide better community recognition, signage and assistance in locating public services, emergency services, recreational and school facilities, shopping and dining offerings, as well as tourism sites. Both the City Council and Community Revitalization Board of Directors have identified wayfinding as a priority this year.

In addition to the Technical Assistance Grants, the IEDA on Tuesday also awarded $965,500 in Main Street Iowa Challenge Grants to 14 communities around the state. The grants will benefit local improvement projects such as façade upgrades and restoration, upper floor rehabilitation, building stabilization and repairs and remodeled spaces for expanding downtown businesses.  The announcements were made during a ceremony held at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.

“The Main Street Iowa Challenge grants have proven to be catalysts for the revitalization of Iowa’s historic main streets,” said Durham.  “These projects represent the ongoing commitment the people of our state – both our elected officials and private citizens — have to the revitalization of our historic downtown districts. Rehabilitated downtown buildings create opportunities for new business and new residences in the core of our communities.”

The grants are administered through IEDA’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa programs. The funding will be distributed in the form of matching grants to the selected Main Street programs. The estimated total project cost of the 14 bricks and mortar projects is over $3.7 million.

“Each project must provide at least a dollar-for-dollar cash-match,” explained Main Street Iowa State Coordinator Michael Wagler.  “Overall, these projects will leverage four times the state’s investment into bricks and mortar rehabilitation and technical services. These projects will have a significant economic impact within each district and they will have a direct impact on each community’s downtown revitalization efforts.”

The Challenge Grant program is funded through an appropriation from the Iowa Legislature.  Since the first appropriation in 2002 through 2015, approximately $6.8 million in state and federal funds have leveraged over $45 million of private reinvestment. Over the life of the program, 124 projects in 47 Main Street Iowa commercial districts across the state have received funding. That includes the recent renovation and remodeling of the former Charley Western Railroad Office in Charles City on North Grand Avenue. New owners Staci and Stacy Ackerson received a Challenge Grant a year ago to help bring that building back to life as a mixed commercial space and upper floor residential apartments.