(Estherville)– A program in Estherville that provides funding assistance to homeowners looking to make improvements to the exterior of their homes is being extended another year. The City Council Monday voted to renew the Neighborhood Facade Grant program. City Administrator Penny Clayton says it’s had a noticeable impact over the five years it’s been in place…
“The program is open to any residential property whether that’s owner occupied or rental for eligible exterior projects. The idea is that they submit an application all at the same time, so everybody submits their applications usually by November 15th and then Excel reviews them and awards to the ten best projects. We budget for ten of these every year. It’s a 50-50 match but only up to $4,000 from the city commitment. Most projects these days are not $8,000 or under, so you’re definitely getting a better bang for your buck than 50-50. The grants are not paid out until the projects are complete, so that prevents anybody from getting the money and then not doing the project.”
The program does NOT provide funding for things such as sidewalks, driveways or landscaping. While the primary purpose is to keep the community looking good, Clayton says even more importantly is the fact it helps preserve Estherville’s housing stock…
“We want people to improve their properties because it improves the look of the entire neighborhood and our community. However, keeping that housing stock well maintained means we can keep that housing stock. You can’t replace that house today for the cost of the new siding, a new paint job. Keeping those properties well maintained goes a long way in our housing stock mix. So it’s really about keeping the properties in good condition, keeping our community looking good.”
The program is funded through local option sale tax revenue and is administered by EXCEL Estherville.
