Geneva council OKs new grant program for historic buildings

Owners of historic buildings in Geneva will now be able to apply for grants to pay for upgrades, including utilities, fire prevention, accessibility and interior improvements.

The Geneva City Council Monday voted 8-0 with two absent to approve the Historic Preservation or Adaptive Reuse Grant Program, starting with $40,000 budgeted for fiscal 2026.

If it sounds familiar – like the American Rescue Plan Act – it is, City Administrator Stephanie Dawkins said.

“Aspiring to be a continuation of the ARPA grant program, this grant will be focused on elevating the built environment through exterior preservation and renovation projects, utility upgrades, ADA improvements, fire prevention measures and interior improvements needed to support today’s more intensive end users,” Dawkins said.

Last December, the City Council approved nearly $303,249 of ARPA funds for economic development agreements for seven business properties. The city received ARPA funds to support its response and recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The city’s program is designed to provide funding to support creating new purposes for older structures, while transmitting an understanding of the past to future generations, Dawkins said.

“Projects will improve the economic vitality of the city by cultivating vibrant business corridors and enhancing the memorable character of Geneva,” Dawkins said.

Eligible projects includes tax-exempt or governmental properties to be considered on a case-by-case basis, Dawkins said.

While the ARPA program required money to be designated and used within certain timeframes, Economic Development Director Cathleen Tymoszenko said this is not included in Geneva’s program.

“We kind of did not want to have that type of deadline because projects are happening all the time, buildings are going on the market and interest comes forward,” Tymoszenko said. “And if we had that kind of deadline, it could impede the process. So we would prefer not to have that, so we could work with [a] different variety of timelines that people have for projects that differ greatly.”

Dawkins said the program would be evaluated every year along with the budget, so officials can decide then whether it is successful.

“In this...upcoming fiscal year budget, we put in basically seed money, because we weren’t sure what types of projects or what the amounts would be,” Dawkins said.

Third Ward Alderperson Becky Hruby and 5th Ward Alderperson Robert Swanson were absent for the vote.