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Historic Preservation Commission approves façade grants for downtown buildings, sends one application back for an additional quote
Summary
The commission approved façade grants for multiple downtown properties — Treats Building, White Block, Chocolate Temptation, Monroe Arts Center, and Mark Jacobson's property — and asked the Van Mathers application to provide a second painter quote before final approval.
The Monroe Historic Preservation Commission voted to approve multiple façade-grant applications for downtown properties and directed one application back to the applicant for a supplemental contractor quote.
Committee member (S3) walked the commission through the first round of façade-grant applications, describing the program as a partnership with Main Street Monroe funded with tax-increment (TIF) resources and structured as a matching grant (minimum $5,000 per match). Projects recommended for approval included a window-replacement project at the Treats Building (Monroe Antiques Mall) with a total cost of $66,092 and a grant request of $33,046; awnings at the White Block building with a total cost of $23,325 (half-share $11,662.48); roof and related repairs for the Chocolate Temptation Building (applicant Josh Ellingson) at roughly $24,000; exterior painting and preservation work at the Monroe Arts Center, where staff recommended basing the grant on the lower of two contractor quotes ($14,487); and tuckpointing and door work at 1118 17th Avenue for Mark Jacobson, requested at $33,778.96.
"It's a matching grant minimum of 5,000," Committee member (S3) said, describing the program's structure and noting the design committee review that included an architect. Committee member (S3) also disclosed a stated connection to one applicant and abstained from voting on those applications to avoid a conflict of interest.
Motions to approve the listed projects were made and seconded in each case. Following recorded votes, the commission approved the Treats Building, White Block awnings, Chocolate Temptation repairs, the Monroe Arts Center grant (based on the lower quote), and the Mark Jacobson application. For the Van Mathers application (the former library building), commissioners flagged inconsistent contractor quotes — an original combined figure near $85,000 and a later lower quote — and voted to send the application back to the applicants to obtain a second, comparable quote specifically for painting; the motion carried with one recorded nay.
Staff (S6) said staff would contact successful applicants to draft and execute grant agreements and to resolve outstanding invoice matters for the Chamber building. Commissioners emphasized the intent of the program to help private property owners and nonprofits rehabilitate historic façades while ensuring fair and comparable bidding. The commission did not record any formal amendments to the approved awards; one application (Van Mathers) will return with clarified quotes before receiving final approval.
The committee's actions allocate the next round of TIF-supported façade funds to a mix of private and nonprofit-owned downtown buildings and set a follow-up process for the one application needing clearer contractor bids.
