Jacksonville Main Street is hoping more property owners take advantage of a currently open grant opportunity to improve their store fronts.
Main Street Executive Director Judy Tighe says that the current Facade Grant enrollment has received 6 applications with requests not hitting the top dollar amount of $5,000 to cover the costs of an exterior project.
Tighe says she’s hopeful more property owners will step forward and apply: “I’m hoping that a lot more people send in requests because just in talking with several of the applicants, I know they are not requesting the full amount. Even though we have a very limited pool of money, the possibility exists that we may be able to issue more grants and help more people than we had originally thought.”
Tighe says the Main Street District just doesn’t encompass the downtown square: “Our Jacksonville Main Street District actually covers 44 square blocks. It goes from Church Street on the west to Clay Avenue, and from Lafayette Avenue-Washington Street on the north basically say the railroad tracks, south to Beecher Avenue. It’s a big area and there are lots of commercial properties within that area, and lots of those commercial properties need just a bit extra work.”
Applications are being accepted through Monday, March 31st. The application can be found on jacksonvillemainstreet.org/facadegrant as well as on Main Street’s social media channels. Completed applications can be delivered to the Main Street Office at 222 West State Street or emailed to info@jacksonvillemainstreet.org. For more information, call 217-245-6884.