MSVW gets grant for downtown project

VW independent/submitted information

The Main Street Van Wert downtown development organization was one of 10 agencies in the entire country — and the only in the Midwest — to receive the National Main Street Downtown Placemaking Grant sponsored by Edward Jones.

This highly competitive grant was created to help jump-start catalytic impact projects in 10 communities by activating underutilized public spaces. Van Wert’s submitted project is the pedestrian alley between The Hotel Marsh and Diller and Rice law firm.

The grant provides Main Street Van Wert with $2,500 in match funding from provided by Edward Jones. Because the grant requires local matching funds, Main Street is seeking community support to raise the other $2,500 for the project. Once funds are raised, money will be used to purchase street furniture, such as café tables; planters to help provide greenspace in the alley; adult-sized games such as Giant Jenga; temporary art installations/murals; and more. Once the furniture is purchased, Main Street will plan various events throughout the year in the alley for nearby businesses and residents to enjoy.

Any donations made at www.ioby.org/project/art-alley will be matched, up to the $2,500 limit, before July 31. “To be one of ten communities selected in a nationwide program is exciting,” said Main Street Van Wert Project Manager Dan Baisden. “We are looking forward to providing the Van Wert community with a gathering space all are encouraged to enjoy with friends and family.”

The current pedestrian alley currently only serves one purpose in the community: a cut-through for people trying to get from Main Street to Central Avenue, or vice versa. The vision for this project turns the existing space into a lively downtown activity area where people are encouraged to enjoy their lunch, listen to live music or re-discover the historic structures in downtown Van Wert.

Activating the alley will allow residents and businesses to have a space where they can hang out and socialize, with spectacular views of the historic Van Wert County Courthouse.

MSVW has currently raised just over $600 in private donations before bringing the project to the public, and a total of $2,100 overall. The organization’s goal is to raise another $1,100 — for a total of $5,700 with the matching fund grant — to help purchase needed furnishings for the alley.

Donations can be made online through the iOby website www.ioby.org/project/art-alley or by check to Main Street Van Wert, 136 E. Main St., Van Wert, OH 45891. Include “alley” on the memo line of the check to ensure it gets to the right project.

Baisden said he hopes that, if the needed money is raised by July 31, work on the project could begin this fall.