State grant will help turn Mayville’s Red Brick School into downtown housing | Daily Citizen

WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes, together with WEDC Deputy Secretary and COO Sam Rikkers, declared on an afternoon go to to Mayville that the city has been awarded a $250,000 Local community Improvement Financial investment grant.

Mayville’s former Red Brick University, which dates to 1924, is currently being made into residences and a industrial house by Andres Lezama and his wife, Lindsey. The making anchors the downtown enterprise district on the north stop.

“Mayville has been bringing new life to its historic downtown by supporting smaller enterprise owners, aiding renovation initiatives that produce a photograph-ideal modest-town scene and presenting occasions that give people a reason to check out,” reported Hughes in a press release. “WEDC is very pleased to have assisted many of these endeavours and we’re joyful to lover with the city as they acquire the future phase in their downtown revitalization — producing housing for people to stay downtown.”

Lezama is attempting to preserve as considerably of the historic college developing as doable although earning wanted contemporary updates. He reported the job would be expense-prohibitive without the $250,000 grant.

Mayville gained its designation as a Key Avenue Group in 2018. The town of close to 5,000 people is 1 of much more than 30 communities in the WEDC Wisconsin Principal Avenue plan to receive operational guidance such as obtain to instructional workshops, webinars and conferences networking alternatives and an on the net useful resource manual — all developed to facilitate revitalization of downtowns and city industrial districts.

WEDC executives toured several organizations Monday in addition to the Purple Brick University that WEDC has supported lately, which includes Key Road Makeover winner Fred’s Beds, the nonprofit Open Door Coffeehouse and Sweet Pea’s Pies.

The homeowners of Fred’s Beds, Jeff and Janine Andes, worked with a workforce from WEDC and the design firm Retailworks to produce a new search for the home furnishings and household décor retailer. WEDC presented up to $10,000 to carry out the strategies last thirty day period.

Kyle and Rachel Smith relocated their Minnesota pie business to Mayville in the summer season 2021 immediately after obtaining a corner Principal Road making. Sweet Pea’s Pies opened in the historic Tunes Block making with the aid of a $31,000 Neighborhood Growth Investment decision grant from WEDC.

The WEDC also assisted Amber Schraufnagel, president and founder of Open Doorway Coffeehouse, with a $137,500 Neighborhood Growth Expense grant to go into a new, far more obtainable Primary Road room late very last spring. The larger sized location makes it possible for the nonprofit to offer more mental health and fitness, parenting and youth programming.