Seven downtown businesses won the city's first Downtown Improvements Grants, from Fountain Square facades to Hot Rod Alley statues. The next round opens Feb. 15.
Seven downtown Bowling Green businesses and property owners will share $21,500 in city grants to fix up their buildings. The Bowling Green City Commission approved the awards Tuesday night.
They are the first awards from the city’s new Downtown Improvements Grant matching funds program, which the city announced in July. The city announced the awards Wednesday.
Who got the money
The commission approved these seven projects:
| Project | Grant | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|
| Candle Makers on the Square | $3,500 | New windows and a signage refresh on its historic Fountain Square facade |
| White Squirrel Brewery | $3,500 | Exterior cleanup to prepare the building for more projects |
| Shake Rag Barbershop | $3,000 | Parking lot safety and looks: security lights, a camera, landscaping and parking stops |
| Mellow Mushroom | $3,000 | A mural on the outside of its new to-go addition |
| Atomic Kitchen | $3,000 | 1980s pop culture character statues on Hot Rod Alley at Stadium Park Plaza |
| 904 State Street | $3,000 | Restoring its Fountain Square facade to its early 1900s look, based on original photos |
| The Food School | $2,500 | Soundproofing its classroom at the Houchens Small Business Accelerator |
Demand ran five times the money
The city received 24 applications asking for a combined $110,284. That is more than five times what the commission awarded.
A review committee of city staff from the Neighborhood and Community Services Department scored the applications. The city said it judged them on project impact, visibility and feasibility.
Every grant is a match. Recipients must put in at least a dollar of their own for every city dollar. The city said that with the matching money, the seven projects add up to at least $108,500 in public and private spending downtown.
Recipients have one year to finish their project, or at least start it, depending on its size. Downtown BGKY and the city plan to post before and after pictures on social media as the work is done.
How the program works
- Budget: $40,000 a year, split between a fall round and a spring round.
- Who can apply: downtown commercial businesses, developers, tenants and property owners.
- What it covers: work that improves downtown’s buildings, looks, amenities or safety.
- The match: dollar for dollar, paid by the applicant.
The fall round used $21,500 of this year’s $40,000.
What it means for you
- Downtown should look different within a year. Watch for new windows and signs on Fountain Square, a mural at Mellow Mushroom and statues on Hot Rod Alley.
- Missed out, or have a project in mind? The next application period opens Feb. 15, 2027, and closes March 15, 2027. The city encouraged applicants who were not picked this time to refine their plans and apply again.
- Questions: call the Neighborhood and Community Services Department at 270-393-3617.
- Our guide to downtown Bowling Green covers Fountain Square and the streets around it, and who to call at City Hall lists the other city departments.
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