The Opelousas Main Street program is soliciting Main Street Restoration Grant applications from downtown commercial building and/or business owners located in the Main Street district. The Louisiana Main Street program offers grants ranging from $2500 to $10,000. Grants are available for either interior or exterior rehabilitation projects. Applications received from Opelousas Main Street building and/or business owners will compete statewide for funding with other Main Street communities.
To be eligible for Main Street Restoration Grant funds, a building must be located within the downtown Main Street district, be used for commercial purposes, and be at least 50 years old. In addition, the proposed work must be approved by the local Historic District Commission and the Louisiana Main Street office, while also conforming to the guidelines set forth by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
To apply, applicants must create a free Submittable account in order to submit your application at: www.submittable.com Once an account is created, the application and guidelines can be accessed through the Louisiana Office of Cultural Development Applications Manager. The deadline for submitting an application is July 31, 2022. Grant awards will be announced in September 2022. Grant funded project work must be completed by April 30, 2023. The grant application announcement can also be found on the Main Street page at cityofopelousas.com
Over the years, Opelousas Main Street has received some $165 thousand dollars in redevelopment grant funds from the Louisiana Main Street program, initiating thousands of dollars in local project costs plus associated jobs and economic stimulation. Arpeggio’s Lounge and Event Center, located on Main Street, was the most recent recipient of the Restoration Grant. Other past recipients include the Bodemuller the Printer on Main Street, Brass Rail located on Landry Street; the old Bodemuller building, located on Bellevue Street; the former Fakouri building on Main Street and the Palace Café, now Chicory’s at the Palace, on Landry Street.
The Opelousas Main Street boundaries include: starting in a westerly direction at Vine Street at the corner of Union Street following west to Liberty Street, then in a northerly direction to Grolee Street, then in an easterly direction to Market Street, then in a northerly direction to the southern edge of the railroad track, following in an easterly direction along the track until Union Street, then following Union Street in a southerly direction until Vine Street.
For more information, visit the Main Street page on City of Opelousas.com or contact Melanie Lebouef at Opelousas Tourism- Main Street at tourism@cityofopelousas.com or call 337-948-5227.
