[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 111 (Thursday, September 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S9824]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CHARLES CITY, IOWA, REVITALIZATION

 Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, one of the greatest challenges we 
face--not just in Iowa but all across America--is preserving the 
character and vitality of our small towns. This is about economics, but 
it is also about our culture and identity. After all, you won't find 
the heart and soul of Iowa at Wal-Mart or Home Depot out in the strip 
malls. No, the heart and soul of Iowa is in our family farms, and on 
Main Street in small communities all across my State. That's why we 
need to be as generous as possible--and creative as possible--in 
keeping our downtowns not just alive but thriving.
  As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I am involved in 
funding many hundreds of programs every year. But the Main Street Iowa 
program--providing challenge grants to revitalize downtown buildings 
across my State--is in a class by itself. It's smart. It's effective. 
And it touches communities and people in very concrete ways
  For example, the citizens of Charles City, IA, are revitalizing their 
downtown and inspiring new interest in fine arts. Charles City received 
a Main Street Challenge Grant to construct an elevator addition to the 
Charles City arts center, which is housed in a historic, city-owned 
building that was originally a Carnegie Library. This elevator 
installation is the first phase of a project called ``Expanding 
Accessibility to the Arts,'' which aims to increase the number of 
people who can experience the programs and services offered by the arts 
center. The next steps in the plan are to refurbish the building's 
workshop and classroom areas to provide wheelchair access and eliminate 
sources of allergic reaction, and to expand the arts center exhibits 
and programs to meet the needs of the entire community.
  This Carnegie Library building has been the cultural center of the 
Charles City community since it was opened to the public in 1904. When 
much of the downtown was devastated by a tornado in 1968, the Carnegie 
building was miraculously spared. In 2004, the Carnegie Library 
celebrated its centennial anniversary.
  The addition of an elevator, plus other changes to improve access for 
people with disabilities, will help to equip the Carnegie Library 
building for its next 100 years. As the principal author of the 
Americans with Disabilities Act, I am heartened to see more and more of 
our old, historic buildings being retrofitted to improve access for 
citizens with disabilities.
  The beauty of the Main Street Iowa program is that the ideas and 
initiatives come from our small towns and rural communities. I have 
been pleased to secure $1.5 million in funding since 2002 for Main 
Street Iowa Challenge Grants. The Iowa Department of economic 
development provides technical assistance, but, as we have seen in 
Charles City, success itself comes from local leadership, local 
teamwork, and home-grown ideas and solutions.
  This project is demonstrates how renovations of old buildings can 
serve to jumpstart broader civic improvements. When people see one of 
the anchors of Main Street being renovated or expanded, this can change 
the whole psychology of a town or community. It offers hope. It serves 
as a catalyst for a far-reaching ripple effect of positive changes.
  So I congratulate the citizens of Charles City for putting together a 
winning proposal to secure a Main Street Challenge Grant. Their efforts 
to reinvigorate the city's historic downtown and improve access for 
people with disabilities are setting a terrific example for other small 
towns across America--and for that, I salute them.

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