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Dawsonville DDA splits remaining grant funds among three downtown projects, flags grant-program overhaul
Summary
The Downtown Development Authority voted to divide remaining grant funds evenly among three applicants — two restaurant projects and a coffee-shop renovation — and agreed to revisit the DDA grant rules and a possible shift to a facade-focused program at a later meeting.
The Downtown Development Authority of Dawsonville voted to divide its remaining incentive funds evenly among three recent applicants for the DDA grant program, the board said Tuesday during a special-call meeting.
The board approved splitting the remaining grant balance equally among the three projects — the restaurant renovation pitched by Cindy Dickinson Knight and an associated property-owner application, plus improvements at IGY6 Coffee — after hearing project details, cost breakdowns and discussion about prioritizing job creation.
The vote followed presentation of a new worksheet designed to show scope items and paired quotes for each line of a renovation, which Downtown Development Director Amanda Edmonson told the board was intended to make bids easier to compare. Edmonson said the worksheet breaks projects into individual scope items and lists the applicant’s ranked quotes so the DDA can see which vendor covered which part of the work.
Cindy Dickinson Knight, who identified herself as an applicant for a downtown restaurant renovation, told the board that the project reflects ‘‘my husband’s dream’’ and that much of the kitchen and dining work already is complete. She said the estimated project cost for the restaurant portion was $23,950 and that the applicant is requesting $10,000 from the DDA. ‘‘He’s already started with so much work with this restaurant,’’ Knight said, describing plans for a soft opening and promotional activity tied to the owner’s social media following.
Board members reviewed the other two applications on the agenda. The DDA packet shows the property-owner portion of the SIP (the associated building work) at roughly $18,372.71 total paid, with a $10,000 grant request; the IGY6 Coffee request was listed in the packet with a total project expense of about $5,850.58 even though the applicant’s requested award was $10,000.
Edmonson told the board that the DDA had roughly $21,060 available to award from the current grant fund balance, and the three applicants asked for $30,000 in total. Board members debated whether to split the available money evenly or to weight awards toward projects that create higher-paying or more numerous jobs. Jonathan Campbell noted that one applicant estimated roughly 25 new jobs and argued that the DDA’s guidelines list job creation as the most important factor.
After discussion the board voted to split the available grant funds evenly among the three requests (about $7,200 each). Jamie McCracken made the motion; Tasha (board member) seconded. The motion carried with one abstention by Chris Sheets.
Members also discussed longer-term changes to the DDA grant program, including a possible transition to a façade grant that would prioritize exterior improvements. Board members said they will continue the discussion by email and return to the topic at the DDA’s next meeting. The board voted to table formal action on changing the grant rules to the DDA’s meeting on Nov. 6.
The DDA’s Downtown Development Director said she will compile examples from other communities to inform that discussion.
Ending: The board approved the even split for the three current applicants and set follow-up work to reconsider the grant program’s focus and budget ahead of future application rounds.
