Knodles Appliance store gets $5K facade improvement from city of Sycamore

SYCAMORE – A Sycamore business will soon get some aid from the city to help beautify its exterior, after the Sycamore City Council this week approved a $5,000 facade improvement grant for the building.

Knodles Appliance Service Co. at 117 S. California St. in Sycamore was awarded the grant during Monday’s Sycamore City Council meeting after a 7-0 unanimous vote.

The grant for the company will aid in the removal and replacement of the building’s storefront windows and door system, according to city documents. Paul Salvatore, who retired last year and sold the business to Daniel and Katherine McLaughlin, was named in the grant application outlining $14,750 worth of project costs, documents show.

Salvatore retired in May, according to the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce.

Under Sycamore’s facade improvement program, the city matches funds up to $5,000 for business owners and developers to seek an equal amount. The program is meant to help foster economic growth and development throughout Sycamore.

Sycamore City Manager Michael Hall said Salvatore met the requirements for the grant application because his project costs exceeded $10,000.

“They applied for a grant and went before the architectural review committee,” Hall said. “There are no building requirements for that, no approval process or anything like that.”

According to city documents, Sycamore’s architectural review committee considered the request on April 11, and voted, 4-0, to forward the recommendation to the council.