Three grants totaling $109,000 will be used to preserve three businesses on Mt. Pleasant Main Street
MT. PLEASANT—Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Roger Roper, announced to Mt. Pleasant’s Main Street Committee last Tuesday that his department has awarded $109,000 in grants to three businesses located on the city’s historic Main Street.
The purpose of the grants is preservation of the three buildings in the historic downtown area. The buildings involved are located at 40 West Main, 45 West Main, and 179 West Main.
The 40 West Main Street property is owned by Marla Hicks, who the city says intends to open the building as a naturopathic health store. Hicks is a former nurse and midwife. Her partner is Brooks Thompson. Their grant is for $37,500, and they will provide matching funds in the amount of $12,500 for a total of $50,000.
The 45 West Main property is owned by Amanda Wesson Ivory. The building was once the old Erikson Grocery and later housed the Pyramid Newspaper until they moved across the street. The grant amount is $34,000 and will be matched with an additional $11,333 provided by the owner. The proceeds will be used to upgrade the building’s facade.
The 179 West Main property is a historic home on Main Street that is being converted to a bed and breakfast by the owner, Mark Marriott. Marriott’s grant is for $37,500, and he will provide an additional $12,500 in matching funds for a total of $50,000.
Monte Bona, executive director of the Main Street Committee, says that currently there is an additional $30,000 available from the same pool of grant funds for businesses who qualify.
The National Main Street Project began in 1977 as a non-profit organization whose purpose was to improve downtown areas across the nation. Mt. Pleasant’s Main Street Committee, organized in 1994, is one of four original Utah Main Street project participants. The other three were Brigham City, Midvale, and Parowan.
The State of Utah withdrew from the project in the early 2000s, but Mt. Pleasant elected to continue its affiliation with the national organization.
Last year, under a bill sponsored by Sen. Darren Owens (R-District 24), the state reentered the national program. Because Mt. Pleasant remained in the program continuously throughout the period that the state was not participating, they were able to jump to the front of the line in the reinstituted state program at a higher level than communities who are just coming into the program.
Owens’ bill appropriated $350,000 to get the program rolling again in Utah. The $30,000 in remaining monies Bona says are yet available for Mt. Pleasant businesses comes from that appropriation.
In other business, two new Main Street sub-committees were added to those already in existence. Former Mt. Pleasant City Councilman Justin Atkinson was appointed chair of the Community Development subcommittee, and Heidi Kelso and Molly Brotherson were appointed co-chairs of the newly formed Beautification subcommittee.
Steven J. Clark is the Main Street Committee chairman. The subcommittee chairs/co-chairs are: Kevin Christensen, Economic Development Committee; Paul Applegarth and Angela Thompson, Preservation subcommittee; Janiel Sego and Dawn Coates, Downtown Enhancement subcommittee (Sego is in charge of privately owned buildings and Coates is in charge of publicly owned buildings); Joyce Turner, Promotions; Wendy Hacking and Lisa Potter, Design subcommittee; Shauna Watts and Faylyn Catmull, Community Outreach subcommittee; and Connie Roper, Planning/Organization subcommittee.
The Main Street Committee also acts as the advisory council to the Mt. Pleasant Community Redevelopment Agency (CRDA) and the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area (MPNHA).
