Main Street Iowa application from Decorah wins approval from the Decorah City Council

Monday night the Decorah City Council voted 5-2 to support an application from Decorah to become part of the Main Street Iowa Program.

The vote came despite the opposition of Decorah Mayor Lorraine Borowski, who, although absent from Monday's meeting, submitted a letter suggesting the financial costs of participating in the program would be "not in the best interests" of the city.  The application also has drawn opposition from the Winneshiek County Development Board and the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce Board, as well as the Winneshiek County Board.

But supporter Ross Hadley suggested "we have some underutilized buildings on Water Street" and that Main Street Iowa membership would help change that.   

Main Street Iowa is a program of the State of Iowa, an attempt to revitalize commercial districts by concentrating on historic preservation.

Only six Iowa communities have been preparing a Main Street application this year--with Monticello, Shellsburg, Eagle Grove, Coon Rapids and Nevada joining Decorah.  Past application cycles have seen 15 to 20 communities applying, which makes this year's odds better.

If Decorah is named a "Main Street Iowa" community, it would become qualified to access a number of technical assistance programs, such as engineering and architectural advice and assistance.

Currently there are 54 Iowa communities which have been selected for the Main Street Iowa program, including Lansing, Elkader, West Union and New Hampton.