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Main Street Manning is now taking applications for the 2016 Façade Grant Program and will award up to $50,000 to be used for front, rear or side façade improvements in the Main Street district. Grants will be up to 50 percent of the construction costs with a project minimum of $5,000. Applications are due to Anna at Manning City Hall by Tuesday, May 31. The façade committee will score the applications and the Main Street Manning board of directors will give final approval. Winners will be notified by Thursday, June 9. Work on façade projects cannot begin until award notification is made and a Central Business District Permit is obtained. Grants will be paid out as reimbursements after invoices and proof of payment are submitted. The Main Street team will also evaluate the submitted applications for applicability toward a $75,000 Challenge Grant from Main Street Iowa, if appropriate.

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Carroll Daily Times Herald     Rebecca McKinsey

Downtown revitalization projects will continue in Manning with the latest announcement of a grant program that will continue to help building owners improve their facades.
Main Street Manning is offering a one-time $50,000 pool to an undetermined number of business owners’ projects in the city’s Main Street business district that successfully complete an application process.
A committee comprising Main Street Manning and city officials will choose the recipients, and any business in the Main Street district is eligible for the grant.
The tax increment financing funds are set aside from property-tax dollars in the district and must be used for projects in that same district. The $50,000 grant program will be available only once, said Main Street Manning Board President Ron Reischl, who is serving on the facade committee.
Main Street Manning previously offered a local facade grant program that awarded grants up to $2,000 to help businesses with signage and awnings before swinging into the city’s large-scale $800,000 downtown revitalization project, which saw 17 buildings’ facades renovated. Now, the TIF funding could fund additional larger projects.
“This is a continued revitalization of our downtown buildings, simply on a smaller basis,” Reischl said.
Building owners who were unable to participate in the larger downtown revitalization project could take advantage of this offering, but the funds are open to anyone who has a business in Manning’s Main Street district, Reischl said.
Those applying could also be eligible for a Challenge Grant from Main Street Iowa — in the past, the annual award has funneled $75,000 into several renovation projects in Manning.
Between the TIF-funded grant, the Challenge Grant and tax credits associated with the Manning business district’s recent placement on the National Register of Historic Places, a project conceivably could become much more affordable.
“That could result in a significant renovation of a building’s upstairs,” Reischl said.
Projects eligible for the grant must cost at least $5,000, and the grant could reimburse the building owner for up to half of the project cost. The project would need to be completed within one year of the businesses owner’s notification of the grant receipt. Applications are due by May 31, and the committee hopes to inform recipients they were chosen by June 9, Reischl said.
The grant application applies a scoring system to business owners’ requests — offering a range of points for a project description, the visual impact on the building and district, the effect on employment, revenue or residences downtown, the historical elements that would be protected during the renovation, the existence of project drawings and an indication of whether the project addresses structural integrity needs.
“We’ve tried to give (the committee) some ability to quantify it,” Reischl said. “We’re trying to add a level of fairness by having a scoring mechanism.”
The projects must involve the building facades’ front, side or back and can include just about any type of work, ranging from new windows to a complete facade renovation.
“We’re encouraging everyone to submit all their ideas,” Reischl said. “We may determine the larger ideas may be more appropriate to submit for the Challenge Grant.”
While applying, business owners must supply a letter from a bank indicating they either have funding for their project or are approved for financing, a project timeline, detailed estimated costs and a Central Business District building permit, which has to be received before the work is started. Those who receive the grant cannot begin work on the project until being notified.
A local historical preservation committee signs off on building permits in the downtown district, and organizers would work with building owners to preserve buildings’ historical aspects during the renovations.
For more information about the grant, contact Main Street Board Member Anna Irlbeck at anna@mmctsu.com.
“This represents our ongoing efforts for preservation in our downtown district — preservation and economic expansion,” Reischl said.

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Manning has been selected for the second time to participate in Iowa’s Living Roadways Community Visioning Program, which helps communities under 10,000 bring their volunteers together to envision improvements along transportation venues that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but environmentally sustainable. Community members are invited to take part in the planning process by joining a focus group workshop on Saturday, April 16, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Manning Public Library. Participants will share ideas in small group settings and photograph transportation opportunities and needs in Manning. The information gathered will be used by the visioning committee to develop a transportation concept plan. The Iowa Living Roadways Community Visioning Program is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Transportation in partnership with Iowa State University Extension Landscape Architecture and Trees Forever. For more information on participating in Manning’s focus group or the overall visioning process, contact Geri Spies at 712-655-3557 or Brad Riphagen, the Trees Forever Field Coordinator, at 515-370-1291.

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Three of the 21 Leadership grads are from Manning!!! Congrats to them and any/all businesses that sponsored them!!!

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The Carroll County Leadership Institute held their graduation ceremony on Wednesday, April 6, at the Santa Maria Vineyard and Winery. The eight-session institute ran from September through April in locations throughout the county, and introduced current issues through panels, lectures, on-site visits and group discussion. Members of the 17th graduating class were honored during the ceremony by former Mayor and owner of Computer Concepts of Iowa, Adam Schweers, and Carroll Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Shannon Landauer as commencement speakers. They encouraged the group to accept the challenge of leadership roles and direct the future of Carroll County. A photo and full listing of graduates along with a list of program sponsors can be found with this story on our website. Anyone interested in participating in the 2016/17 Carroll County Leadership Institute can contact the Carroll Chamber of Commerce at 792-4383.
Graduates of the 2015-2016 leadership class are: Deb Adams, St. Anthony Regional Hospital; Jamie Blum, Blum Physical Therapy; Matt Boell, The Graphic Edge; Megan Boyd, American Home Shield; Diana Bruch, Templeton Savings Bank; Michael Christensen, Christensen Chiropractic Clinic, PC; Amy Christian, DMACC; Brett Foley, American Home Shield;  Tasha Hinners, New Hope;  Mark Huffman, Landus Cooperative; Susie Hulst, Kuemper Catholic School System; Courtney Jass, 360 Feeds; Sarah Johnson, Puck Custom Enterprises; Sean Kleespies, City of Carroll; Brook Mikkelsen, The Graphic Edge; Chris Nieland, Western Iowa Networks; Holly Onken, Mid-Iowa Insurance & Real Estate; Cindy Rattenborg, DMACC; Susie Schrader, Carroll Broadcasting; Karen Schreck, American Home Shield; Jeremy Strasser, Pella Corp.

Leader Sponsors for the program include: American Home Shield, DMACC, Drees and Landus Cooperative.  Partner Sponsors include: Badding Construction, Carroll Broadcasting, Carroll County State Bank, Champion Ford of Carroll, Farner-Bocken Co, Greteman & Associates, Mid-Iowa Insurance & Real Estate, Pella Corp-Carroll Operations, Performance Tire & Service, The Graphic Edge, UTC Aerospace-Carroll and Western Iowa Networks.

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Cindy Ranninger took over the position as Main Street Manning Director in mid-February, and says she is pleased to have found a challenging career that fits with her current lifestyle. The position requires approximately 25 hours a week for Ranniger, who had worked for the Carroll Chamber of Commerce for about seven years before taking some time off to travel. After a while, she said, she began thinking about going back to work and when this opportunity arose, she said it really appealed to her.
Since taking over, Ranniger has attended a few state Main Street meetings and has learned more about grants and the Open 4 Business contest as well as processes. She said she is doing a lot of reading on what has been done in the past and spending time attending board and committee meetings as part of her learning process, which she is really enjoying right now. Ranniger is looking forward to learning more about working with the city, county and economic boards as well as the politics involved with the position. She says that most of all, she is really proud to be a resident of Manning and now a member of an organization that is working so hard to see the community thrive and that pride solidified her decision to accept the director position.
Projects in the near future that she will be working on include the use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) dollars to continue the façade projects. Working with Drake University on the Manning Public Relations plans that were drafted by students who visited the community last fall and winter and moving forward with the childcare development Challenge grant for the daycare center. In 2017, they will start the second round of market analysis with a goal to find out what more needs to be done in the community. Ranniger and her husband of 42-years, Russ, live on a farm west of Manning. They have three grown daughters and four grandchildren.

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Did you read the Manning News Journal article regarding Manning Commercial District received designation on the National Register of Historic Places? This is a wonderful and official acknowledgement of Manning's historic and renovated Main Street district! Thank you Pam!!
Here is the Wikipedia entry.

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Boulders Inn Manning LLC hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking on the building site to the west of the Hausbarn Konferenz Centre last Friday afternoon. Tim Stuart, a member of the development and ownership group for Boulders Inn and Suites of Denison, said they are all pleased to be seeing this project get underway in such a progressive community.
The process started with an analysis done by the community, which provided results that favored moving forward with the proposal. Stuart said when they look at various cities, they want to align with opportunities to work in conjunction with other properties and projects, such as the Hausbarn. The 32-room Boulders Inn Manning will be their 12th hotel within the state. Boulders currently has 10 that are operational and one that is to be completed late this month. They are also looking forward to another project this spring that will be their first out of the state, in the Maryville, Mo. area. Boulders Inn Manning has an aggressive, six-month construction schedule with an October opening. Stuart says they feel comfortable with this date because of their relationship with their long-time partners; who will begin groundwork in mere days. Stuart said he is fairly confident the construction schedule will go as smoothly as the process of recruiting investors.
Stuart said they target 30 plus percent equity compared to total development cost and they were able to exceed that for the Boulders Inn Manning, their first property in Carroll County.

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