Facade work underway throughout Medina's Historic, South Town districts

MEDINA — Several buildings in Medina's Historic and South Town districts are getting a fresh look thanks to Main Street Medina's facade program. Through matching grants and rehabilitation loans, Main Street Medina supported the renovation of properties within the 12-block area, focusing on beautification and historic preservation. With preservation as part of Main Street Medina's mission, Executive Director George Sam said it was important to support property and business owners to do so. "We just want to make sure that the buildings stay preserved," Sam said. "One way to do that is regular maintenance, which we know is costly." Funding comes from matching grants up to $5,000, reimbursing the applicant 50 percent of the cost of the eligible improvements, and low-interest loans up to $25,000 at 2 percent below the prime interest rate from Ohio's One-Time Strategic Community Investments Fund. Through the provided funds, Sam said it could help business owners go above and beyond what their normal maintenance may be. "We just want to make sure that facades get attention too," he said. According to Sam, there are about 14 businesses that have undergone or will undergo facade work. On Wednesday morning, there were several facade projects underway on South Court Street. At Castle Noel, work was underway by the newly installed doors at the business' gift shop entrance. The new doors were installed earlier this week. Just across the street, Medina Roofing is working on painting and repairing the architectural details above several businesses. On Wednesday, the crew was working above All Fired Up! The businesses and sidewalk will remain open during the project, but several parking spots could be unavailable for service vehicles' use. All the funds available through the facade matching grant program have been committed, but there are still some rehabilitation loans available. "The reason people love Medina and come to Medina is because of our unique architecture," Sam said. "Preserving that is our mission." To learn more about the program, visit www.mainstreetmedina.com/facade-program. Contact reporter Sara Crawford at (330) 721-4063 or scrawford@medina-gazette.com.