Planning grants will make the cities eligible to compete for an additional $1.75 million in grant funding in the future….

Atlantic, Iowa – The cities of Sidney, Creston, and Corning were each awarded $25,000 grants under the Comprehensive Neighborhood Revitalization Planning Community Development Block Grant (CNRP-CDBG) Program by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) will administer the grant for these cities.

Each community will use the funds to hire a firm to write an action plan/analysis on what projects could/should be done in the target area in order to help revitalize that area. These cities can then use the action plan/analysis to apply for grant funding of up to $1.75 million to implement the plan. Potential projects fundable under the grant would need to comply with the national objectives of HUD to benefit low and moderate-income persons and to prevent or eliminate slum and blight. Examples of potential projects could include single-family housing rehabilitation, commercial facades, parks and open spaces, sidewalks and trails, street repair, and streetscaping.

SWIPCO assisted the city of Sidney with applying for the Comprehensive Neighborhood Revitalization Planning grant. The application discussed the potential for housing rehabilitation, trail development, a basketball/pickleball court, and sidewalk development to aid in revitalizing the targeted area of the city. While outside of the SWIPCO region, SWIPCO was hired to administer the Creston and Corning grants.

SWIPCO routinely provides grant writing and administration services to its member communities in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby Counties and has brought over $129 million in grants to the region in the last year alone.