The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) on Thursday announced Jefferson Matters: A Main Street & Chamber Community has been awarded a $75,000 grant for the Angie’s Tea Garden project at 100 E. State St. Thirteen other Main Street Iowa communities also received grants.
“This is a perfect example of the Jefferson community coming together to make a difference in our downtown. This grant will have a large impact for completing the project that so many of us are excited to experience again,” said Jamie Daubendiek, president of Jefferson Matters: A Main Street & Chamber Community.
“The Main Street Iowa Challenge grants have been instrumental in revitalizing Iowa’s historic main streets,” said IEDA and Iowa Finance Authority director Debi Durham. “Reinvesting in our traditional commercial districts is good business. It’s good for our economy and good for our state. These projects will bring new businesses and new residents to our downtown districts.”
The grants are administered through IEDA’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa programs. The funding will be distributed in the form of matching grants to the selected Main Street programs. The estimated total project cost of these 14 projects is over $3.2 million.
“Each project must provide at least a dollar-for-dollar cash-match,” said Michael Wagler, state coordinator for the Main Street Iowa program. “In total, these projects will actually leverage significantly more than the state’s investment into bricks and mortar rehabilitation. This investment will have a significant economic impact within each district.”
Since the first Challenge Grants were awarded in 2002, approximately $11.6 million in state and federal funds have leveraged more than $59 million in private investment. Over the life of the program, 193 projects in 56 Main Street Iowa commercial districts across the state have received funding.
This is the fourth Challenge grant awarded to Jefferson. A year ago a $75,000 Challenge grant was awarded for work on The Public House, a dining venue in the former Ace Hardware building on the northeast corner of the downtown square. Owners of that business are Amanda Bills and Addi Meyer. In 2018, Jefferson received a Challenge grant used to renovate second floor housing about the Prairie Lakes AEA building. High school students in the construction class did the labor. In 2016, Jefferson received a $74,500 Challenge grant for the restoration of the Kendall building, now Sensibly Chic, on the south side of the square.
An application in 2015 for work on the building directly north of Angie’s Tea Garden was not approved.
