The Utah Main Street Program (UMSP) Advisory Committee recently announced the communities that received its Downtown Enhancement Grant. Seven designated tier two communities received awards totaling $190,000. This ongoing annual funding support has been provided by the Utah Legislature.
The new UMSP grant helps local communities revitalize their economy, appearance, and downtown commercial districts. It accomplishes this by building a strategy centered around a community’s unique heritage and attributes, focusing on what’s special to make it a great place to live and visit.
The seven communities include:
- Brigham City
- Cedar City
- Helper
- Mount Pleasant
- Ogden
- Price
- Tooele
These communities will join or are already members of the National Main Street America organization.
“This program demonstrates what’s possible when communities unite for a common purpose to support their unique heritage,” says Nan Anderson, director of the Utah Main Street Program. “Go Utah looks forward to supporting priorities and projects that make a difference and honoring what makes each community unique.”
Priority projects highlighted in the applications include establishing community main street groups, identifying downtown revitalization priorities, facade grants for downtown businesses and buildings, wayfinding signage, information kiosks, lighting, and many more community-building projects.
Success metrics include new businesses opened, new jobs created, private and public investment, buildings rehabilitated, retention and growth for businesses and jobs, and hosted events. The communities will report to the UMSP Advisory Committee on their downtown revitalization efforts in the coming months.
The UMSP matching grant supports local initiatives and maximizes locally-provided funds and in-kind contributions focused on downtown revitalization.