Improvements to Downtown McMinnville are on the horizon after Main Street McMinnville was one of 17 recipients of Tennessee's Downtown Improvement Grant Program.
This grant is intended to be used by downtown communities and organizations to make improvements and renovate building facades, wayfinding signage, courtyard upgrades, gateways, streetscapes, lighting and sound as well as electric vehicle charging. Applications were opened on June 1 of this year and due by Aug. 15.
The process to apply required a budget form to estimate labor, design and administrative costs of the overall project as well as soft commitments from property owners conveying support for the proposed improvement plan as well as any intentions to apply for use of the grant money. Candidates were required to be downtown communities in order to be eligible and Main Street McMinnville stepped forward to apply on behalf of Downtown McMinnville.
Applicants were evaluated using a variety of criteria to determine need. Project impact, project plan, project feasibility, community support and economic rank were all factors used to justify the need for the grant money. The grants awarded chosen recipients up to $300,000 dependent upon work needed. Main Street McMinnville was able to demonstrate need across all categories and received the full grant amount, $300,000. Across all 17 grants, more than $4 million was awarded to communities in need.
In the press release issued by the state to announce which communities received this year’s grants, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter said, “Tennessee would not be known for its exceptional quality of life if it weren’t for the leaders across our state that have chosen to invest in their main streets and downtown districts. These 17 communities have a better chance at securing new investment and spurring job creation because of the Downtown Improvement Grants, and we are proud to partner with them in their revitalization efforts.”
The money received from the grant is planned to be parceled out to downtown business owners in the historic district on an application basis. Business owners whose applications are accepted will be reimbursed 75 percent for their renovation projects.
“We don’t have a process ready yet. We have to get the grant contract first,” said Main Street McMinnville Executive Director Jennifer Flatt Meredith. “The expectation is that we will have the go-ahead to begin receiving applications sometime in the spring and it will apply to all businesses in the historic district.”
Meredith indicated the grant has awarded about $150,000 in the past, making this year’s allotment a welcome and much-needed surprise. The city will be utilizing some of the funding to implement new design elements, bike racks and picnic tables.
“On behalf of Main Street McMinnville, we are really excited and honored to be a recipient of the grant,” Meredith said. “We love Downtown McMinnville and we want to see it continue to flourish and grow. Being able to have this and offer it for business owners will help them revitalize some of our buildings and bring more businesses downtown.”
While the city has not progressed to stage three in the McMinnville Downtown Revitalization Project, Meredith is hopeful the grant money will allow them to pave the way toward this goal. The contract for the grant is expected to make its way to Main Street McMinnville in January, at which point it will begin the process of determining an application process.
