Cottage Grove recently was awarded $200,000 to rehabilitate the 1903 Bank Building on the corner of Main and Sixth streets granted by Oregon Heritage, a division of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD).
The division awarded 29 other matching grants worth $5,244,261 to Oregon Main Street Network organizations across the state for building projects that encourage economic revitalization. Projects range from façade improvement to housing and seismic upgrades with awards ranging from $56,731 to $200,000.
Rehabilitation plans for the bank include six apartments and retail upgrades, including interior and exterior facade improvements.
The department funded projects that best conveyed the ability to stimulate private investment and local economic development, and best fit within the community’s long-range plan for downtown vitality, according to an OPRD news release.
The grant program was created during the 2015 legislative session, and placed with the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office. The legislation established a permanent fund for the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant (OMSRG) and provided an initial infusion of money from the sale of lottery bonds.
The legislature included the OMSRG in the lottery bond package approved in 2017. The money must be used to award grants to participating Oregon Main Street Network organizations to acquire, rehabilitate or construct buildings to facilitate community revitalization. The program also requires that at least 50 percent of the money go to rural communities as defined in the bill.
More info: oregonheritage.org or Kuri Gill at [email protected] or 503-986-0685.
