Grants available through Main Street

When Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly reinstated the Kansas Main Street program in late 2019, 25 communities that had been part of the program — including Holton — were “grandfathered back into” the program, according to Holton/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce executive director Ashlee York.

Last year, however, plans to give the state program and its participating communities a boost were hampered by COVID-19. But now that the pandemic appears to be leveling off, Chamber officials have announced their intent to utilize the state program’s “resources and tools needed to breath new life into our community and district.”

That’s according to a statement issued Monday morning by the Chamber board that Kansas Main Street is offering three new grant programs to benefit upper-floor housing, arts programs and new business development in downtown districts.

“They have access to different resources that our businesses could really utilize,” York said of the Main Street grant programs that the state seeks “letters of intent to apply” for by Monday, March 15, with project applications due by Friday, April 16.

Holton initially joined the Kansas Main Street program in 2008, but after the administration of then-Gov. Sam Brownback ended funding for the state program in 2012, Holton’s program hung on through the end of 2014.

York said Holton and other communities that had been part of the old Main Street program were “grandfathered” back into the state program following Gov. Kelly’s relaunching of the program in late 2019 and advised that they would not have to go through the extensive process of applying to become a Main Street community again.

“We just needed to utilize the program, or we wouldn’t be a Main Street community anymore,” she said. “We decided that we wanted to utilize it.”

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The Holton Recorder

109 W. Fourth St.
Holton, KS 66436
Phone: 785-364-3141
 

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