A Bowling Green program that launched this week gives property owners a reimbursement of up to $5,000 for exterior improvements.
The city of Bowling Green has $400,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to reimburse property owners for upgrades like new doors and windows or repainting.
The property must be in the designated area that runs roughly from Fairview Avenue to 14th Avenue and the U.S. 31-W Bypass to Chestnut Street.
Brent Childers is Bowling Green’s director of neighborhood and community services. He said this is the first in a series of property improvement projects across the city and it’s a first-come, first served, until the money runs out.
“So this is a one-time deal. Once we’re done in this area, we’re moving somewhere else and we’ll develop the programs and projects needed for that area. So, that’s the way this program was designed is to tailor the investments and the improvements to the needs of each neighborhood.”
Childers estimates that about 90 properties will be approved for the improvement grants. The area designated for the project has about 400 property owners and more than double that number of parcels.
Childers says federal funding requires that each proposal must undergo a historic review.
“Pretty much every property is going to have to be reviewed in Frankfort. So we’re going to have to see what is the improvement proposed, send it off to them, get their blessing and then the person can start the project. So you can’t do anything until you get an approval letter from us.”
This is the first of several neighborhood improvement projects that will award grants to property owners.