[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 111 (Thursday, September 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S9827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 JEWELL, IOWA, DOWNTOWN REINVIGORATION

 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 is 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'm 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 town of Jewell, IA is taking great strides to 
renovate and reinvigorate their downtown area. With the assistance of a 
Main Street Challenge grant, Jewell is taking great strides to restore 
the vitality and beauty of their Main Street. One such project is at 
632 Main Street, a building that has housed a bank, a millinery, a 
newspaper office, and a senior citizen center. Although the building 
has been vacant for a number of years, the Jewell Area Development 
Enterprise plans to return the building to its former grandeur thanks 
in part to a Main Street HUD Challenge Grant. The hopes and dreams of 
the original builders will once again be seen in Jewell's future 
through the renovated building that will hold prosperous businesses on 
the main floor and an apartment on the upper story. The city received 
$40,000 through the Main Street Challenge program, and citizens have 
called that grant a catalyst for the renovation of 632 Main.
  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 
Jewell, success itself comes from local leadership, local teamwork, and 
home-grown ideas and solutions.
  This project is a shining example of new construction and a catalyst 
for future projects. 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. This project serves as an 
impetus for further downtown renovation projects, and the interest to 
continue in the beautification and restoration of downtown Jewell was 
clear when I visited it in August.
  I congratulate the citizens of Jewell for putting together a winning 
proposal to secure a Main Street Challenge Grant. Their efforts to 
reinvigorate their historic downtown are setting a terrific example for 
other small towns across America, and for that, I salute them.

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