The City of Kearney Downtown Improvement Board will be accepting applications for the Façade Project Grant Program from March 2, 2009 through March 30, 2009. A total of $40,000 is available for the program to create a partnership between the Downtown Improvement Board and property owners for façade renovations. The Façade Project Grant is intended to be a partnership with applicants, a joint venture to galvanize Downtown Kearney through aesthetic projects. As such, applicants are required to provide matching funds in the amount of 25% of total project costs and are strongly encouraged to ensure that projects preserve and restore historically significant features. Contact Suzanne Brodine at 308-233-3222 or sbrodine@kearneygov.org for more information. Applications must be turned in by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 30, 2009.
See Historic Preservation Projects for 2008
Revitalizing a historic district is not only a boon to business owners, but to the community as a whole. Downtown Kearney, The Bricks is the focal point of the city’s culture and history, and as new developments are constructed in outlying sprawl, it struggles to keep up.
The district must offer something unique and remarkable to the public to compete with new shopping and business developments. Developing the Downtown area into a distinctive experience requires a commitment of effort and funds by the community and individual business owners. Only through a cooperative effort can a vital part of Kearney’s past be saved from falling to the wayside.
The Kearney Community Redevelopment Authority has classified Downtown Kearney: The Bricks as Redevelopment Area #4 and made funding available in the form of loans and grants. In 2006, and again in 2007, the CRA gave the Downtown Improvement Board $30,000 to fund the Facade Project Grant. They made this money available to downtown building owners to return their facade to historic or near-historic conditions, remove or replace metal awnings and to reduce signage. With individual and community support, the Downtown Improvement Board hopes to return historic Downtown Kearney to the glory of its heyday, and in the process bring new life to Downtown businesses and highlight important cultural and historical landmarks. The 2008 Facade Project Grant was awarded in May, the Downtown Improvement Board awarded a total of $40,000 to four properties.