posted 3/15/2019 in Grants/Awards
AUDUBON - Audubon officials got the news early this week: Audubon had been selected for a Community Block Grant that will only be awarded to two Iowa communities.
“We’re super excited, it’s such a great thing for Audubon,” said Sara Slater at Audubon County Economic Development.
The grant is for $425,000, part of a pilot project for housing development.
Slater said there will be three apartments put in at 302 Broadway in Audubon, with $400,000 going towards construction costs and $25,000 for administration.
The group working on the application included the ACED and Region XII - with housing being an issue for many small communities in Iowa, being able to develop upper floor apartments in a downtown area would be a good thing, and Slater said she was very excited to hear that Audubon had been selected.
The group worked on the application earlier this year, “It had to be in with very short notice,” she said. “But they were able to get it done, and we were selected.”
The building is on a corner on Broadway - a great location, Slater said.
City Clerk Joe Foran reported that the city got notice on Wednesday morning.
“We’re very happy because when it’s just two in the entire state I’m sure it’s a very competitive thing. Being that it’s a pilot one there was no guideline to go by so we just had to put our best foot forward and hope the program we were suggesting was attractive enough for them.”