KENDALLVILLE — A fully renovated block of downtown buildings. Renovated upstairs apartments. A cultural trail highlighting Kendallville’s history. And ongoing support for building owners to continue the program.
Kendallville makes its pitch for $2 million grant kpcnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kpcnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
KENDALLVILLE â âHave you seen what theyâve done?â
âThereâs so much there.â âItâs alive and itâs expanding and its changing.â âItâs an awesome city to visit.â
Those are the kind of things Kendallville business owners and city leaders want people to say about their downtown in the future.
Theyâre hoping a new grant opportunity may help serve as a springboard to get them on the way.
The city is looking to move forward with seeking a $2 million grant that would not only help fix up downtown buildings but also establish historic preservation guidelines in the downtown.
SPENCERVILLE — A construction trailer filled with tools for repairing the Spencerville Covered Bridge was stolen from the construction site early Friday.
Allen Park, Rochester, Royal Oak downtowns win awards for thriving through COVID-19 pandemic Bill Laitner, Detroit Free Press
They beat the pandemic odds against small business.
Now they’re getting accolades along with cash prizes. In nationwide contests judging how downtowns big and small not only survived the pandemic, but even thrived through it, metro Detroit has three winners: Allen Park, Rochester and Royal Oak.
Each won for playing creative defense against the nationwide shutdown that began March 16 last year. Despite the odds, their marketing bosses found ways to encourage take-out dining and COVID-19-safe shopping.
Nationwide, traditional downtowns fared better than strip malls and shopping centers during the past year, said urban experts at the International Downtown Association in Washington, D.C. One reason is that classic downtowns gave virus-wary visitors lots of choices in a dense area. Another is that those areas felt safely familiar to many