The Jefferson city council received updates on a pair of downtown projects at the regular meeting April 9.
The first item of new business was an application for a $150,000 10-year forgivable loan and a $60,000 façade grant for the former Ace Hardware building at 121-123 N. Chestnut St. The forgivable loan and the façade grant come from the city’s tax increment financing (TIF) program.
The city council in October 2021 had approved an application for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for renovation of six second-story apartments in the 1932 building. Per CDBG guidelines, the upper story apartments needed to be completed before work on the restaurant could begin. The apartments have been completed and leases have been signed, allowing work to begin on the next phase of the project.
Co-owner Amanda Bills, doing business as Pub Adventures, explained they’re now ready to begin work on the street level Public House, an Americana restaurant featuring steaks, burgers, soups, salads and more.
“We’re really excited about the project,” Bills said. “We believe we’re building an asset for the community that everybody will enjoy.”
She said the Public House could open at the end of this year or early in 2025, depending on construction.
Total cost of the project in 2021 was pegged at $966,294. Bills said at Tuesday’s meeting the cost has increased considerably since then.
Chris Deal provided an update on the building he owns at 204 E. State St. The building, now known as The Forge, was rehabbed at a cost of more than $2 million for use by Pillar Technologies as a training site for software developers.
The project drew national attention as a way rural America could participate in the Silicon Valley economic boon.
Before work was finished on the building, Pillar was acquired by Accenture, and then the Covid 19 pandemic caused Accenture to close all its offices world-wide. Accenture restructured all its divisions, putting the rural Forge project under a different corporate umbrella. Several students completed the program and started software development careers.
Deal learned several months ago that Accenture is phasing out its training program. Accenture is closing one-quarter of its office space, including locations in Des Moines, Ann Arbor, MI, Palo Alto, CA, and Columbus, OH.
“As we went through this, we started to focus on how we can utilize the building in a way that’s still going to be beneficial to the community,” Deal said.
Accenture agreed to buy out the remaining 2-1/2 years of its lease on the Jefferson building.
Deal is now working with the Des Moines Partnership and Iowa State University ag hub to locate another partner “that we can leverage and utilize a world-class space and also keep a focus on local economic opportunities through the process…. There’s some opportunity that we believe will come through this,” Deal said.
He added that the building is now paying 800 percent more in property tax than before the rehab six years ago, providing a payback to the community.
The council received a quarterly update from Greene County Development Corporation director Ken Paxton.
He reported that an offer of employment had been made for the position of director of the Multi-Cultural Family Resource Center. He did not name the person, as the primary employer of the director will be Greene County Schools. (The school board at its April 10 meeting as part of the consent agenda approved hiring Sara Huddleston of Storm Lake as MCFRC director.) Huddleston will have offices at Greene County High School and at Jefferson city hall. She will start her duties June 1.
Paxton said the USDA has agreed to extend its grant funding for the project one year, through July 2025. The funds pledged by local businesses, groups and individuals will not be needed until then, rather than in October 2024 as originally planned.
He also reported that a family from Ukraine is expected to arrive in Jefferson soon. They will be the first new residents assisted by the Multi-Cultural Family Resource Center.
GCDC is still working with Kading Construction to find an alternative site for a housing project. The site discussed late last year in the east business park will not be used due to zoning problems related its location near Landus, with liability and safety issues a factor. The original development agreement with between GCDC and Kading has been ended.
The city council approved resolutions of ongoing support for the Bell Tower Community Foundation, ElderServe, and The Children’s Center, all nonprofit organizations. The resolutions do not name a specific amount of monetary support. A similar resolution was approved regarding GCDC.
As part of the consent agenda, the council approved waiving the noise ordinance for a Civil War reenactment at Chataqua Park during the Bell Tower Festival. Cannon demonstrations and a staged skirmish with reenactors shooting blanks will be included. Information about decibels expected was not provided.
