The Clarion theater and neighboring storefronts downtown, the kind of commercial block a small-town grant is meant to help. Photo: Brandonrush, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
A $30,000 state-and-bank grant aimed at small-town storefronts was on the Wright County supervisors’ Nov. 2 agenda, with Economic Development Director Aaron Budweg asking for authority to apply on behalf of retail businesses and commercial districts in the county.
KQ Radio reported ahead of the meeting that supervisors would consider authorizing Budweg to apply for and administer the Iowa Rural Development Council / Wells Fargo Rural Business Initiative grant. Mix 107.3 KIOW listed the same item on the Nov. 2 agenda. The published agendas described a $30,000 application for Wright County retail businesses and commercial districts; they did not spell out which towns or storefronts would be in a final request.
Thirty thousand dollars is not a new industrial park, but it is real money in towns the size of Clarion, Eagle Grove, Belmond, Dows and Goldfield, where a storefront facade, a sign or a small equipment purchase can be the difference between a shop holding on and a dark window. Wright County Economic Development, a county department since the old commission was created in 1987, works from the courthouse and already helps businesses with site and housing questions.
The item was listed as an authorization to apply, not as an award. Grant programs like this one typically require a formal applicant, a short plan for how the money would be used, and, if the application is approved, reporting back to the funder. If supervisors gave Budweg the go-ahead, the next public sign will be the application itself and, later, any award announcement.
Business owners who want to know whether their district would be included can call Wright County Economic Development at 515-532-6422 or email wced@wrightco.iowa.gov, the contacts listed on the county website.
Holly Shafer writes for Clarion News Online.