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Ferguson Offered Matching Grant
Ferguson Selected For Downtown Revitalization Grant from Mo. Main Street
The Ferguson Special Business District has been selected in a competitive application process to participate in a cost-sharing Affiliate Grant that provides training, mentoring, and technical services to revitalization programs in Missouri’s historic commercial districts. The grant is provided by Missouri Main Street Connection, Inc. (MMSC)
MMSC staff will visit with Ferguson’s downtown community leaders to evaluate existing and future needs of the downtown, and then schedule a series of customized training and mentoring sessions equipping them to concentrate on their local revitalization goals. MMSC State Director Gayla Roten noted “Through this grant, we will work with Ferguson to unify their community towards the common goal of revitalization. We are very excited to see the community adopt Main Street as a way to energize and engage citizens.“
The goal of the grant is the development of a sustainable, volunteer-based organization that will carry out an economic development program based on the preservation of historic assets in the downtown, using the Main Street Four-Point Approach® to Revitalization.
With support from MMSC, the Ferguson revitalization group anticipates:
- Maximizing on the community’s strong and established volunteer base to revitalize the downtown district.
- Showcasing the many assets and benefits found in the historic district for Ferguson and the surrounding communities.
- Supporting entrepreneurship and private investment in the historic district.
During the next two years MMSC will provide Ferguson with training and mentoring to establish a revitalization organization that will engage the entire community as a participant and beneficiary.
The Affiliate Grant is a 40/60 match, requiring the community to contribute 40% of the cash value of the services. The total value of the grant in training and mentoring services is $24,000. Ferguson also is now designated as an Affiliate in the Missouri Main Street Tier Structure which ranks progress on standards established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street Center.
