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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us March 5, 2005 Grants sprucing up Talent By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings When the wind really starts blowing, the front windows of the Talent Emporium take a beating. The big picture windows don't just rattle, they make the Coffeys, who have owned the store for nine years, a little nervous that the plate glass might shatter. So when Talent Urban Renewal Agency ads offering funds to retrofit building facades in the downtown area appeared in the Talent Flash newsletter and local newspapers, the Coffeys knew it was time to fix the windows of the 82-year-old building at 106 Talent Ave. Owners of the Talent Emporium have designs on replacing the picture windows at the front of the store, which rattle whenever it's windy. Photo: Orville Hector Ashland Daily Tidings "I think it would just be really nice," Carol Coffey said. "We were concerned because our windows aren't really historic. We thought it would improve the building, especially because we kind of greet you." The Talent Urban Renewal Agency will divide $30,000 in urban renewal funds before July 1 for the restoration of commercially used properties and historic buildings in the downtown area through the new Rehabilitation/Facade Improvements Grant Program. Each property can receive a direct grant of up to $5,000, which doesn't require matching funds from the owner. Matching grants, which require a 50-50 match from the property owner, of up to $10,000 are also available. Agency officials estimate more funds, which are generated through property taxes, will be available after July 1 to continue the program. Owners of seven properties in the urban renewal area, including the Talent Emporium, the Talent Bible Chapel, Bangkok Benny Thai restaurant and a private residence, have met with architectural consultant George Kramer to design the changes to their buildings. Property owners can utilize up to five hours of free design consultation and project assistance directed by the urban renewal agency. The Talent Emporium decided the windows needed the most help, although the Coffeys had a difficult time choosing one project. Leaders from the Talent Bible Chapel, which remains the second-oldest Baptist church structure in the state even though the church has changed affiliation, have talked about restoring the church's stained glass windows and possibly fixing up the belfry. "Our job is to eliminate blight (and) deterioration and improve assessed values," said Marla Cates, the executive director of the urban renewal agency. Cates explained the purpose of the grant program is to encourage economic development and new investment downtown, maintain the small-town character of the city and return the exterior buildings to their historic grandeur. The Talent Urban Renewal Agency will begin approving applications for the Rehabilitation/Facade Improvements Grant Program at its March 15 meeting, although the application process is ongoing. A blossoming town About 100 new housing units have been built in the past two years, another 50 have been approved, and a new housing development along Highway 99 has been proposed, but the population isn't the only thing growing in Talent. The depot's done and commercial space in the building has been rented out. New curbs and pathways have been added to a repaved Front Street. The street lights are being retrofitted with a lower-wattage bulb and new design that reduces light pollution but maintains safety and visibility. The planting of the hedgerow on the Front Street side of the railroad tracks is next. "We're doing something really different here," Cates said, "because everything done by urban renewal has to be maintained by the city. It has to be really low maintenance." Instead of a chain-link fence and a landscaping design crowded with peonies or poppies, the urban renewal staff thought a hedgerow of field roses, Oregon grape, and native flowering currant flanked by meadow grasses would be the most-attractive, easiest option along Front Street. Planting is slated for April. And, perhaps before the end of the summer, a new Rogue Valley Transit District bus route will loop through the improved downtown area and use the Talent depot as a central stop in the city. The $655,000-state funded reconstruction of the old 19th-century train station that had existed on the site years before was completed at the beginning of 2004 and the city intended it to be a park-and-ride stop on along the RVTD path. "It will happen," said Talent City Manager Betty Wheeler. "But it may not (happen) as soon as we would like it to." RVTD can't simply redirect its route to incorporate the depot park-and-ride. "The premise they start with is 'How to get someone from Ashland to Medford in x amount of minutes?'" Wheeler said. Three businesses now occupy commercial space in the building, although one tenant will have to find a new location if and when the bus line reaches the depot. Staff writer Jennifer Squires can be reached at 482-3456 x 3019 or [email protected] . 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