A Year of Blogging/Challenge Grant

I have officially been blogging for a year now, and it's been a great experience so far. The only thing I would change is to get more feedback from you! It's great to see people taking advantage of the links in my posts--there is excellent information out there in many different formats and forums.

Coinciding with this "one year anniversary" is another celebration for our City. We got good news early in 2007 when notified we were to receive a Challenge Grant awarded by the Iowa Department of Economic Development. The $60,000 grant will be utilized, along with City funds reaped from the existing Tax Increment Financing District in the area, to provide fire protection sprinkler system infrastructure for the Valley Junction Business District.

The Valley Junction Foundation would like to see greater utilization of the upper story spaces in their buildings, as well as more restaurants locating to the Business District. A sprinkler system is essential to meeting these goals. The cost of installing a sprinkler system in an older main street building is significantly higher than for new construction, and this grant will cut sprinkler system costs for the landowners and merchants in the district.

This is the first step towards the installation of sprinkler infrastructure throughout the remaining buildings in the District if found to be successful in fulfilling the Foundation's strategies. Great thanks to the Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa, as well as Senator Tom Harkin and Governor Chet Culver, who were present for the award presentation.