Boone accepted into Main Street Iowa program after 2022 rejection

BOONE, Iowa — Boone has been accepted into the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Main Street Iowa program. The program aims to bring economic development to small towns’ downtowns.

Boone originally applied to be a part of the program back in 2022 but was rejected.

Elijah Stines, the Mayor of the City of Boone, said that after the city was rejected from the program the community came together over the course of two years to reapply.

“Interest was immediately renewed in that we were going to try for it again in two years,” Stines said, “and a committee formed immediately we got city buy-in, all the elected officials at the city end were on board all of the volunteers figured out ways to add to our application, buy-in from the community, financial pledges, businesses being on board, and things like that.”

The Main Street Iowa program provides cities with resources to help revitalize their downtowns. Boone’s designated Main Street will be on Story Street between 11th and 6th streets.

Kelley Moliter, who served as the Board Application Chair for the City of Boone’s application to the program, said Main Street Iowa will provide many different kinds of support.

“There’s also their technical assistance, they call it. They value that at about $120,000 a year. The access to their designers and their architects and their attorneys and anybody else that we need. So they really kind of walk you through and hold your hand through. Let’s get your 523 submitted. We’re going to make sure that it’s right before it goes out the door. They also are doing like board trainings for us, strategy workshops,” Moliter said.

Boone will need to hire a Designated Main Street Director which they hope to have filled by November.

To learn more about the Main Street Iowa program visit the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s website .

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