March 27, 2018 at 1:31 a.m.
Portland gets $30,000 grant
Portland gets $30,000 grant
In July, Redkey received a $30,000 grant to work on plans for revitalization of its downtown area.
Now, Portland has one as well.
Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman received an award letter Monday indicating that the city has been awarded $30,000 from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Geesaman. “And because we’ve become a Main Street, we’ll be eligible for other grants that will help (building) owners in the city target those buildings.”
The grant covers the cost of creating an official redevelopment plan with the help of a professional planning firm and makes the city eligible for other funding opportunities down the road. Those options include the Historic Renovation, Downtown Enhancement and Main Street Revitalization programs, as well as a place-based investment program.
The city has already tasked R&B Architects of Indianapolis with working on a study that will look at downtown buildings to determine whether or not they can be rehabilitated. The block on the south side of Main Street between Commerce and Ship streets next to Jay County Jail is of particular focus, Geesaman said, along with several other buildings in the downtown area.
He noted that some buildings may be deemed too problematic to repair, but in those cases OCRA’s blight clearance grant program could come into play.
“If it’s cost-prohibitive to fix those buildings up … then we could use that blight clearance (grant),” he said.
R&B’s study will also suggest potential businesses that could be effective in downtown buildings that are currently empty.
Other steps in the process will include involving the city’s redevelopment commission, gathering community input and setting priorities for the city’s future.
The grant requires that a first draft of Portland’s plan be ready by Jan. 31, with a final plan complete by March 31, 2019.
Portland began its most recent push toward improving the downtown area with a Ball State University study in 2016. Since then, there hasn’t been much action to move forward with any of the BSU suggestions. That’s in part because the redevelopment commission expressed a desire to get a plan development by professionals, which will increase the possibilities for state and federal grant funding.
Now, Portland has one as well.
Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman received an award letter Monday indicating that the city has been awarded $30,000 from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Geesaman. “And because we’ve become a Main Street, we’ll be eligible for other grants that will help (building) owners in the city target those buildings.”
The grant covers the cost of creating an official redevelopment plan with the help of a professional planning firm and makes the city eligible for other funding opportunities down the road. Those options include the Historic Renovation, Downtown Enhancement and Main Street Revitalization programs, as well as a place-based investment program.
The city has already tasked R&B Architects of Indianapolis with working on a study that will look at downtown buildings to determine whether or not they can be rehabilitated. The block on the south side of Main Street between Commerce and Ship streets next to Jay County Jail is of particular focus, Geesaman said, along with several other buildings in the downtown area.
He noted that some buildings may be deemed too problematic to repair, but in those cases OCRA’s blight clearance grant program could come into play.
“If it’s cost-prohibitive to fix those buildings up … then we could use that blight clearance (grant),” he said.
R&B’s study will also suggest potential businesses that could be effective in downtown buildings that are currently empty.
Other steps in the process will include involving the city’s redevelopment commission, gathering community input and setting priorities for the city’s future.
The grant requires that a first draft of Portland’s plan be ready by Jan. 31, with a final plan complete by March 31, 2019.
Portland began its most recent push toward improving the downtown area with a Ball State University study in 2016. Since then, there hasn’t been much action to move forward with any of the BSU suggestions. That’s in part because the redevelopment commission expressed a desire to get a plan development by professionals, which will increase the possibilities for state and federal grant funding.
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