Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
In the map above, the area shaded in blue illustrates the area designated by the city as eligible for Main Street grants. Private businesses within the area have until Feb. 7 to apply for funds.
Private business owners in New Rockford have a shot at grant and/or loan funds to repair blighted, deteriorating or dilapidated structures in the downtown area.
Gov. Burgum's latest effort to revamp Main Streets across the state comes in the form of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), federal funds distributed to the state and administered by regional planning councils.
North Central Planning Council, the agency that administers the program for Rolette, Towner, Cavalier, Benson, Ramsey and Eddy counties, announced the grant program in December.
To set the stage, the New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation and the City of New Rockford recently prepared paperwork necessary to designate the city's downtown area as "blight." NRABC Executive Director Amanda Hegland and City Auditor George Ritzke conducted an inventory of properties in the defined area to identify those that are in fair or poor condition in various areas such as storefront, exterior walls, roof, windows and doors.
The designation will remain active for the next 10 years, during which private businesses, non-profit organizations and local governments will have opportunities to apply for funds.
North Central Planning Council has allocated $450,000 for first round applications in the region. Private, for-profit businesses with commercial property in the designated area illustrated above are now eligible to apply for the first round of funding. Pre-applications are due Feb. 7, 2020. Program details and application materials are available online at http://www.northcentralplanningcouncil.com/main-street-program.html
For confirmation that a property is included in the designated area, please contact Amanda Hegland at (701) 947-2205 or email [email protected].
The program offers up to 25% of the project cost in a grant, and a loan equal to the grant. The maximum award is $100,000 ($50,000 grant, $50,000 loan). The project owner must provide a dollar-for-dollar match to the award, which can include other financing, grants or owner equity. A minimum of 10% owner equity is required (or $10,000 for a $100,000 project).
The goals of the program include job creation (primary sector, retail, tourism), value-added manufacturing activities, diversification, retention and expansion of existing business and use of vacant buildings/facilities. Projects that alleviate blighted conditions on property rated fair or poor and that achieve one or more of the above goals will receive priority.
Eligible improvements include streetscapes, façade improvements, code enforcement, renovation of closed/abandoned buildings, energy system improvements/retrofitting, and architectural design features.
The applications will be scored and ranked, with funding amounts determined, on March 20, 2020. Successful applicants will have 18 months to complete their projects.
