We have received many questions regarding the MSRP grant so we would like to share with you the official announcement from Rediscover Martinsville! Project Overview Introduction: The City of Martinsville and Rediscover Martinsville, the city’s Main Street organization, has been awarded a $250,000 Main Street Revitalization Program (MSRP) grant from the Indiana Office of Rural and Community Affairs (IOCRA) to implement a façade improvement grant program for selected downtown property owners. This project implements recommendations in the 2010 Martinsville Planning Study for Downtown Revitalization, which can be found online on the Greater Martinsville Chamber of Commerce website. Need: Downtown buildings suffer from long term neglect, delayed maintenance, and insensitive past remodeling that makes rehabilitation cost prohibitive for current building owners. The condition of many buildings makes them unsuitable for occupancy and discourages investment on the part of other building owners. Vacant buildings threaten the economic viability of downtown, while unattractive buildings make downtown an unpleasant place for residents and visitors. Goal: The facade improvement grant program will help selected downtown property owners (see list below) fund structural and aesthetic improvements to the public facades of their buildings. Property owners will contribute 20% of the total project cost for their building, with the MSRP providing 80%. Projects include but are not limited to restoring storefronts to their historic appearance, replacing windows, repointing and other masonry repairs, painting, new signage, and awnings. Benefits: Improvements in buildings result in an increase in assessed values and property taxes. Incremental tax revenue will be captured by the downtown TIF for reinvestment in the district. The City of Plainfield, which completed a similar façade improvement grant program in 2010, saw immediate tenant demand for and occupancy of buildings. In other communities, owners were inspired to fix up their buildings when they saw the dramatic improvements to other buildings. Participating Building Owners: Seven building owners have been selected to participate in the Main Street Revitalization Program. Selection criteria included a set of 10 weighted factors, each with a sliding scale, ranging from owner participation in informational meetings to the ability to finance projects. Additional evaluation included the degree to which building improvements met the program’s federal objective of blight remediation, and the anticipated impact of specific rehabilitation projects on downtown Martinsville as a whole. The following buildings and proposed projects will be part of the MSRP: 1. 10 N. Main Street—Dave Trout, owner (The Mixing Bowl) 2. 20 N. Main Street—Dave Trout, owner (Champagne and Lace) Restoration of 1890s storefront; masonry repairs, painting. 3. 28 N. Main St.—Roberta Ringham, owner (Berries and Ivy) Restoration of 1890s storefront; masonry repairs. 4. 46 N. Main St.—John and Pam Badger, owner (Martinsville Candy Kitchen) Restoration of 1890s storefront; masonry repairs, painting. 5. 159 N. Main St. —Chip Keller, owner (Keller’s Office Supply) Restoration of 1890s storefront; masonry repairs. 6. 110 E. Morgan St.—Karen Melaniphy, owner (JK’s Cheesecake Cafe) 7. 118 E. Morgan St.—Karen Melaniphy, owner (One Road, Inc.) 8. 120 E. Morgan St.—Karen Melaniphy, owner (entrance to upper floors) Restoration of 1890s storefront. 9. 75 E. Washington St.—Morgan County Library Board of Trustees, owner (Veterans Museum) 10. 77 E. Washington St.—Morgan County Library Board of Trustees, owner (Maxwell’s Art Gallery) Restoration of 1915 storefront. Funding: The total project cost is $518,000, with $250,000 coming from the MSRP grant itself. The remainder comes from building owners, the City of Martinsville, and philanthropic capital comprised of contributions from a variety of community partners. The local cost share is being used for professional fees (architect and other consultants) so no formal procurement process was necessary. Project Personnel: The steering committee consists of Joanne Stuttgen, Ron Stanhouse, and John White (all Rediscover Martinsville Board members), Chip Keller (Martinsville Redevelopment Commission and downtown building and business owner), Shannon Kohl (Martinsville Common Council) and Vanessa Scott (Citizen’s Bank). The grant administrator is Donna Anderson of Kenna Consulting. The architect is Patricia Jacobs of ARCHtrio. The local project manager is Joanne Stuttgen. Timeline: The entire duration of this project is expected to be 2-3 years. The timeline is as follows: · October 2011—October 2012: planning and development; secure commitment from City · November 2012: determine participating building owners; conduct title searches · December 2012: define scope of work for each property in consultation with building owners; begin to line up sources of local match · January 2013: property owners sign letter of understanding/easement of limited duration with City · February 2013: first public hearing · March 2013: grant proposal due; submit plans for environmental review · May 20, 2013: second public hearing; environmental review completed · May 31, 2013: grant application due · August 30, 2013: grant award · January 2014: design/construction plans completed · by March 2014: advertise for bids for general contractor · May 2014: rebid if necessary; grant funds released · June 2014: construction begins · December 2014: construction ends · March 31, 2015: grant closed out What do you think about the improvements and changes happening Downtown? Feel free to comment with your thoughts/questions!
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 02:19:23 +0000
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