Facade Grant To Bring Facelift To North Side Of Downtown

Area to be improved by the facade project.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Owning a brick and mortar location is a continual battle to preserve what, in many cases, are old and historic buildings.

The process of obtaining and writing the grant started in September of 2015, with the assistance of Area 15 Regional Planning, and with the help of Karen Hafner, Main Street Oskaloosa, reaching out to property owners about the grant opportunity.

Those properties that were rated as in fair or poor condition were eligible to participate in the grant.

The grant will provide approximately $500,000.00 in money [Community Development Block Grant] to improve the facades on the north side of the square, stretching along the north side of High Avenue for an additional block east and west of the square, and toward A Avenue. The city of Oskaloosa will provide an approximate $250,000, with the building owners picking up the remaining cost of the projected estimated at or below 1 million dollars, and will improve 23 facades in the downtown area.

There are two historically significant buildings that will enjoy the update. They include the Stapp Drug building and the 107 High Avenue West building.

Plans were developed with the assistance of Curtis Architecture & Design, PC, and were submitted to the Iowa Economic Development Authority in February of 2016, with a notice of award and a contract that was received in July of 2016.

A public open house of the designs and planned improvements was put on display so members of the community and building owners could share their comments before the project goes out to bid, by early February.

Building owners had seen the designs initially back in October, and were able to provide feedback on the design.

Once the bids have been approved, renovation will begin in the spring, and people visiting downtown will spend the summer and fall making their way around sidewalk construction zones, while watching the 17 buildings be transformed over the next year.

“It’s really a collaborative project,” says Andrew Jensen, who is with the city of Oskaloosa and said that the project couldn’t have happened without the efforts of Oskaloosa Main Street.