IRONWOOD, MI - Thursday, February 14, 2008 - The City of Ironwood was presented a check for $130,178 from Ms. Diane Karkau, Community Specialist for the Community Assistance Team's (CAT) Facade Improvement Initiative at 9:00 AM today, in the Women's Club on the second floor of the Ironwood Memorial Building.

The CAT Initiative is a MSHDA program which is designed to assist communities in making physical improvements to an entire traditional downtown area, block or portion of a block that contains buildings, properties and businesses in need of facade improvement. The check the City received today will fund the second of two phases of Ironwood's facade program.

The Facade Grant program comes with a 50% match, which means the property owners are required to pay half of all improvements funded by the MSHDA program. Former Community Development Director Pat Merrill was largely responsible for obtaining the MSHDA funds.

Previously Governor Jennifer Grandholm announced that three programs would collectively make up a $2.3 million CDBG funding initiative. The three programs available are: the Downtown Facade Improvement Initiative (the program for which the City today received funds), the Signature Building Acquisition Initiative and the Downtown Infrastructure Initiative.

"Investing in Michigan's traditional downtowns makes them more vibrant places," said MSHDA executive director, Michael R. DeVos. "These vibrant places attract talent, business, jobs, and private investments to the state."

According to today's MSHDA news release, "This grant is being awarded based on this project's area-wide benefit to the entire community. The funding will assist the community by providing funding for facade improvements to downtown commercial/mixed-use buildings in Ironwood. The grant will also be supplemented by local and private matches in the amount of $130,178."

"The Downtown Facade Improvement Initiative, the Signature Building Acquisition Initiative and the Downtown Infrastructure Initiative will use a little more that $2.3 million in grants and leverage $9.4 million in private investments and create 80 full-time jobs in downtowns throughout the State."

MSHDA administers the State of Michigan's Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) for housing and downtown development. CDBG is a program of the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

MSHDA is a quasi-state agency that provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve safe and decent affordable housing, engage in community economic development activities, and address homeless issues. MSHDA's loans and operating expenses are financed through the sale of tax-exempt and taxable bonds and notes to private investors, not from state tax revenues. For more information on MSHDA programs and initiatives, visit the Web site at

Jim Albert