Several storefronts on Lansing’s Main Street receive recent improvements through Paint Iowa Beautiful grant program

The 2023 Paint Iowa Beautiful program made possible through the partnership between Diamond Vogel Paints and Keep Iowa Beautiful has recently provided some upgrades to three Main Street commercial buildings in Lansing. Main Street Lansing was awarded a paint grant through the Paint Iowa Beautiful program that provides free paint/stain products to a wide variety of public service projects throughout Iowa through a grant application process.

“Diamond Vogel is thrilled to work with many local volunteers that help build communities and enhance their communities’ economic vitality. Passionate volunteers like those engaged in Paint Iowa Beautiful make Iowa a great place to live,” said Doug Vogel, Vice-President, Marketing, of the Iowa-based company.

The three buildings benefiting from the Paint Iowa Beautiful grant funding were all located in close proximity on the westernmost end of the 200 block of Main Street, including the Touch of Class Styling Salon at 258 Main Street, Lansing Office Works at 274 Main Street and the Winke Law Office at 288 Main Street. Richard Kotovich, a member of the Design Committee that is part of the overall Main Street Lansing organization, said the location of the three buildings is adjacent to Lansing’s Main Street Plaza, which has also been undergoing renovation following the awarding of a $50,000 T-Mobile Hometown Grant last year.

“These buildings are adjacent to a plaza project that will be a gathering place for community members and visitors,” Kotovich shared. “I would also add that the Paint Iowa Beautiful grants are competitive. I believe that the specific choice of these buildings (need and location) was instrumental in helping us write a successful grant. To my knowledge, this was the first time that Lansing was awarded the Paint Iowa Beautiful grant.”

Main Street Lansing Executive Director Andy Kelleher further noted that the storefronts were selected based on need and proximity to one another. He said the Design Committee, of which he is also a member, reached out to the property owners to determine their interest in improving their storefront facades through the Paint Iowa Beautiful program, and he noted they “enthusiastically agreed.”

“Neither 258 nor 288 Main had been improved for many years, leading to faded and peeling paint, as well as dry and warped siding,” Kelleher explained. “As the buildings with the strongest need for improvement on Main Street and the best chance of being competitive for a grant, those were our targets.”

Located between both of the other two properties, Kelleher said the 274 Main Street building was already planning some upgrades, so the painting part of that overall project was a natural fit for the grant application.

“We included their project in the grant application so that the proposal was for a specific section of the 200 block on Main Street, rather than random disconnected buildings,” Kelleher said. “Doing so allowed us to support work that was ongoing while also creating a stronger grant application.”

In addition to approaching the property owners about being involved in the Paint Iowa Beautiful grant application, once the grant funding was awarded the Main Street Lansing Design Committee also worked with the building owners to discuss the improvements and select paint colors. Along with Kotovich and Kelleher, Terisa Steiber and Diana Wilson-Thompson are also members of that Design Committee.

Kotovich further offered that the labor for painting two of the storefronts was performed by volunteers and the building owner for the third building chose professional labor.

“For 258 Main, volunteers helped with improving, preparing and then painting the facade,” he explained. “For 288 Main,  with volunteer help, the facade was prepared, wood was replaced with cedar shakes and then Diamond Vogel ‘Grain Stain’ was applied as instructed.”

Kelleher noted that the owner of 274 Main Street chose to use professional labor to complete the work, rather than Main Street Lansing volunteers. He said, however, that the primer for the project was part of the Paint Iowa Beautiful grant.

“The Paint Iowa Beautiful program gives Keep Iowa Beautiful a unique opportunity to directly help volunteers improve their neighborhoods and communities,” said Andy Frantz, Executive Director of Keep Iowa Beautiful. “These projects not only help beautify the area, but they also have a direct effect on community pride and improve the economic vitality of the communities involved.”

In the 20-year partnership with Keep Iowa Beautiful, Diamond Vogel has awarded over 13,270 gallons of paint for 1,438 community projects in Iowa.