Three buildings in downtown Winchester will receive much-needed repairs thanks in part to a grant program that will surely offer an incentive to repair and maintain properties in the area.

The grants were awarded to property owners making repairs at 5 Cleveland Ave., 31 S. Main St., and 26-1/2 N. Main St.

The grants were issued by the Downtown Development Investment Fund, which was established with funds from The Beer Cheese Festival, City of Winchester, Clark County Community Foundation, Clark County Fiscal Court, Main Street Winchester, Winchester-Clark County Industrial Authority and an anonymous donor.

This fund currently has $325,000 to go toward several different grant opportunities in downtown Winchester.

There are four types of grants available through DDIF: facade, upper story residential, roof stabilization and new business.

The Cleveland Avenue property, owned by DAM Holdings, was awarded grants for facade repairs, which includes replacing 10 front-face windows; roof stabilization and work to renovate the second floor for residential properties.

The building at 31 S. Main St. was awarded a grant for roof stabilization, and the property at 26-1/2 N. Main St. was awarded a grant for upper story residential renovations. Both properties are owned by Lara and Chris Thornbury.

The downtown Winchester Master Plan recognized that we have a beautiful downtown, but there is still much work to be done.

Whille most of the downtown area is still intact, many of the buildings are in disrepair. Because of this, potential businesses-owners and residents have been turned off from our downtown.

People interested in making an investment in our community find it impossible to do so because of the condition of some of the buildings.

These grants will help offset the cost of some of the repairs necessary to bring the properties in our beautiful downtown area up to code, make them safer and make them more presentable.

It is important to note that these grants are only awarded to property owners who are already making hefty investments of their own. They are not fully-funding projects.

We are thankful for the individuals who see the potential in our downtown and hope these grants will help them see their visions become reality.

We also foresee these grant opportunities incentivizing others to take a chance on downtown Winchester.

Editorials represent the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board. The board is comprised of publisher Michael Caldwell and Bluegrass Newsmedia editors Whitney Leggett and Ben Kleppinger. To inquire about a meeting with the board, contact Caldwell at 759-0095.