I’m sure that a year ago the Revitalize Rural Nebraska Grant Program proposed by Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams and passed by the Legislature sounded like a great deal.
Administered by the Department of Environment and Energy, it’s intended to provide money to help towns under 5,000 populations with the cost of clearing away rundown buildings. Some consideration is allegedly given to historic properties. But there’s nothing really being done to address the root cause of the dilapidation.
Dorn’s heart is in the right place. He wants the funds to help the communities get those buildings so they’re not eyesores. “That when people drive by, they go, ‘boy that makes our town not look very good.’”The department is accepting grant applications through this month. Dorn hopes a lot of towns apply so he can show the Legislature that more than the $1 million originally allocated is needed. If it is, he’d like to expand the program so larger cities, like Beatrice in his district, could apply. Folks in that southeast Nebraska city want to get rid of the old Dempster windmill factory.
