MSPT Opens Application For Grant Funding For Façade & Interiors For 2021
Announces over a Million Dollars in Investment in downtown facades & interiors since 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Info: Jenny Crittenden, 804-815-3522, director@mspt.org
Special Dates to Remember:
Applications Due: Friday, March 19th – 3PM
Awards Announced: Friday, April 30th
The Main Street Preservation Trust has opened applications for 2021 for business and property owners along Main Street in Gloucester who wish to improve their facades or interiors of their buildings in the commercial area of Main Street. The program is now in its 11th year for awarding façade grants and in its 9th year for awarding interior and merchandising assistance grants. New to the program for 2021 will be an E-Commerce Integration grant as well as a COVID19 grant for those businesses having to spend funds to meet pandemic safety standards. To apply, go to www.gloucestervillage.com and download the application or stop by the Main Street office to pick up an application.
For façade improvements, grants are available up to $20,000 on matching improvements and the grant is a 50/50, dollar for dollar match. For a copy of the design guidelines, please download from www.gloucestervillage.com . General improvements allowed by the program but not limited to are windows, doors, awnings, landscaping, exterior painting, exterior signage, site work, and roofs where they are seen from Main Street.
For interior improvements, grants are available up to $15,000 on matching improvements and this is a dollar to dollar match as well. These improvements could include interior painting, flooring, lighting, plumbing and electrical upgrades. Although there are no design guidelines for this portion, any color choices must be presented in the application for approval by the Design Committee.
E-Commerce Integration & COVID19, grants are available for up to $5,000 on any E-commerce or contactless payment system to provide a safe and effective way to sell. The COVID19 portion of the grant is for any construction that may need to occur within the business to meet new safety guidelines for pandemics. To learn more about the VOSH (Virginia Occupational Health Standards) visit www.doli.virginia.gov.
The grant application is due by Friday, March, 19th, 3PM. No late applications will be accepted. “This initiative has proven to be a great tool for economic vitality. Amazing results are seen when a downtown organization invests alongside its property and business owners,” stated Jenny Crittenden, Executive Director of the Main Street Preservation Trust. Since 2011, the Trust has awarded over $640,000 for the purpose of improving the design aspect of our commercial buildings. Combined with the amount invested by the property and business owners, investment has far exceeded the million-dollar mark since 2011. Crittenden further commented, “You can really see the results in the physical transformations that have taken place but it’s the overall message of taking pride in your place, your business, your community that really shines through. Main Street doesn’t just look good, it really feels good. This strategy of aesthetic improvement falls under the Design initiatives that are a cornerstone of our early and sustained revitalization efforts.” Crittenden reports that the Main Street Preservation Trust has allocated $80,000 in funding for the 2021 program.
For those property and business owners that need design assistance prior to a façade improvement, please contact the Main Street office. Because Gloucester Main Street is a designated Main Street community under Virginia Main Street, the Main Street Preservation Trust has access to free design assistance that can link property and business owners with an architect that specializes in downtown revitalization.
For more information on the Main Street Preservation Trust, go to www.gloucestervillage.com or call Executive Director, Jenny Crittenden at (804) 824-9614.