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BY IVAN SANDERS
CITY OF ELIZABETHTON PIO
The City of Elizabethton, in partnership with Main Street Elizabethton, will once again benefit from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s Downtown Improvement Grant for 2024 in the amount of $300,000.

In 2021, the city received the DIG grant for $150,000.

The Downtown Improvement Grant, or DIG grant, is a 75- to-25 reimbursable grant, meaning those awarded would pay for the completion of their projects and be reimbursed 75% after completion.

“Receiving the Downtown Improvement Grant for a second time is a wonderful accomplishment for our downtown community,” said Assistant City Manager Logan Engle. “These grant funds can be leveraged to make a significant and lasting impact on our downtown buildings just as we saw occur with our last DIG grant.”

There will be an informational meeting for the public at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 29, at the Elizabethton City Hall inside Council Chambers.

“Applications will be available at the meeting on Monday, with the goal being to explain the program in detail to all those interested,” said Engle.

Applications will also be available on the city’s website, www.elizabethton.org, after the meeting.

The maximum amount for each project approved will be $50,000 which is a $10,000 increase from 2021.

Engle expects the application process to be competitive. The number of projects to be approved will depend entirely on the amount requested for each of the panel approved projects.

Examples of eligible projects to be completed with the DIG grant include masonry repairs and repointing bricks; repair, replacement, or preservation of historically significant architectural details; removal or reconstruction of false fronts; exterior painting; installation, replacement, or repair of awnings and canopies; window, signage, or door repair or replacement; etc.