IRONWOOD, MI - Tuesday, June 17, 2008 - Workers from Little Bear Construction Company installed new upper windows at Mattson's T.V. and Applicance Store on Aurora Street yesterday. The new windows are part of the City's efforts to improve the appearance of downtown storefronts.

The Downtown Ironwood Development Authority (DIDA) applied for and received grant money from MSHDA for a two-phase facade improvement project. Back in February, 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.

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 in February funded 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.

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 www.michigan.gov/mshda.

Jim Albert