(Radio Iowa) – The Spencer City Council is promising to provide 50-thousand dollars in matching funds if a developer planning to restore fire-damaged structures in downtown Spencer gets a state grant for the project. Spencer City Councilman Loren Reit chairs the city’s Finance Committee. “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” he says, “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 is with M and M Grand Ventures, the firm working on the restoration project. He says 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,” he says, “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.