Downtown Vineland to Get a Facelift with $20,000 Grant

Photo courtesy of Pixbay.com user TBIT.

VINELAND, N.J. – Main Street Vineland has been awarded a Transformation Grant from the Main Street New Jersey (MSNJ) Program for downtown facade improvements.

The grant, which totals $20,500, will be used for the program, “Operation Facelift.” The program is a variation of a program from several years ago that resulted in several new facades and a new look for downtown Vineland.

Businesses applying for the grant money will submit their proposals to a specially-formed Design Review Committee. The grant will fund 75 percent of the cost of an eligible project up to $7,500, with the business funding the remaining 25 percent.

“This grant is not only a tremendous boon to our businesses, but to our entire downtown,” Main Street Vineland Executive Director Russell Swanson said in a press release. “The downtown of a community is its heart and soul. Many people decide whether to live and work in a community by the health—economically and physically—of its downtown. That goes for our downtown, as well—including The Ave.”

This initiative, according to Main Street Vineland Associate Director and Business Development Director Robert Scarpa will build on the success of previous initiatives.

“Whereas the previous Operation Facelift was a forgivable loan, with all of the obligations that go with loans, this is money that goes directly to the project, without the obligation to repay,” Scarpa said in a statement. “This makes it easier all the way around.

Main Street Vineland has also applied for to Thrive South Jersey, for an additional $3,000 grant. Thrive South Jersey is a partnership between New Jersey Community Capital and the Pascale Sykes Foundation.

Main Street Vineland’s “Operation Facelift” will start immediately and all projects must be completed by December 31st of this year.

For more information on this and all Main Street Vineland initiatives and activities, call the Main Street Vineland office at 856-794-8653, visit the organization’s website at TheAve.biz, or visit the organization’s Facebook page.

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