Earlier this week, the City of Jefferson was awarded a $1 million Community Development Block Grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

Jefferson Matters: Main Street and the City teamed up for the project, which consists of $500,000 grant with a match of $468,920 from the City and the 16 downtown building owners to improve the front facades of the buildings. Along with JMMS and the City, Region XII Council of Governments wrote the grant applications, working with the architect Franks Design Group and the participating building owners. JMMS Program Director Peg Raney is hopeful this kind of project will attract more visitors to the downtown area.

“This is what other communities who have been able to be successful have gone after these CDBG grants and it has transformed their downtown. It just pumps people up to come downtown and have it be a place where people love to work and hang out and just enjoy being in this community.”

Another grant that could help a major downtown project is a Vision Iowa Community Attraction and Tourism grant that the Bell Tower Community Foundation has applied for to purchase the remaining bells for the Mahanay Bell Tower. Raney adds that notification for that grant may come as early as mid-July.

Construction for the downtown revitalization project will not start until next year.