The Spencer City Council is promising to provide $50,000 in matching funds if a developer planning to restore fire-damaged structures in downtown Spencer gets a state grant for the project.
“It’s kind of nice to see someone take on a task like this of empty buildings on Main Street not only on a historical perspective, but they’re also taking care of some needs in the community” said Spencer City Councilman Loren Reit, who’s chairman of the city’s finance committee, “from housing, from new businesses coming in and also some entertainment venue coming down the road.”
A fire in early 2023 heavily damaged buildings on on Spencer’s Grand Avenue that housed five businesses and eight apartments. Eric Meter of M&M Grand Ventures, the firm working on the restoration project, said while the flames didn’t reach six of those apartments, they were heavily damaged.
“Due to how long they had to fight the fire, a lot of water damage, a lot of moisture, a lot of soot, a lot of ash,” Meter said, “so we are stripping all of those down o the studs to make sure that we can mitigate any moisture, make sure there’s no mold or anything like that.”
The structure most damaged by the fire was torn down. The plan calls for that open lot to be converted into a courtyard and the entire ground floor of the building that’s still standing to become an events center.
The developer is seeking a state Catalyst Grant. The grants are for building remediation in the downtown areas of Iowa communities.
(Reporting and photo by Corey Harguth, KICD, Spencer)