The city has awarded more than $21,000 in grants to three downtown businesses to help pay for facade improvements.
Officials said they expect more grants to be awarded because five other applications are being processed. Under the program, the city will contribute 50 percent of the money, up to $10,000.
“A lot of merchants are reluctant to spend the money, but this is an incentive because we foot up to half the bill,” said Ald. Sue Klinkhamer, chairwoman of the City Council’s Downtown Committee.
The recipient of the biggest grant, $10,000, is Vertical Drop Ski and Patio, which this year took over the former Colson’s department store on the northeast corner of Main and 2nd Streets.
The business plans to erect new awnings and signs on a building that many see as the cornerstone of the downtown commercial district.
Other grant recipients include the Old Church Inn restaurant at 4th and Main Streets, which will receive $9,245 to help pay for tuckpointing, landscaping, painting and a new front door, and an Amlings floral shop at Main Street and 2nd Avenue, which will receive $2,200 for tuckpointing and repairing a wall.
Planning director Robert Hupp said three awards plus the amounts requested in the pending applications add up to about $90,000.
“I expected the program to start out slower,” Hupp said. “It’s very encouraging that there’s this much interest.”
The council has budgeted $100,000 for the program in the 1994-95 fiscal year and indicated it will do the same for the next three years.
