- Moses Lake, WA
The Downtown Moses Lake Business Association was awarded $50,000 from T-Mobile's Hometown Grant fund to help create a creative community incubator that will have art, live music, events, a lounge, maker space along with everything a person needs to feel inspired and channel their inner creativity in Moses Lake and the surrounding area. Moses Lake was the only city in Washington to win the first round of grants from the Bellevue based company. T-Mobile partnered with Main Street America and Smart Growth America, two consulting partners with a combined experience of more than 60 years working to help build stronger, more prosperous small towns and rural communities. Together, they determined the grant recipients based on detail and fullness of the submission, community impact, viability of the project among other factors.
T-Mobile partnered with Main Street America and Smart Growth America, two consulting partners with a combined experience of more than 60 years working to help build stronger, more prosperous small towns and rural communities. Together, they determined the grant recipients based on detail and fullness of the submission, community impact, viability of the project among other factors. And this group is just the first — recipients are selected and awarded on a quarterly basis, so towns with populations less than 50,000 are eligible and encouraged to apply.
“We’re thrilled to work with T-Mobile and Smart Growth America to support these inspiring projects in rural communities across the country,” said Main Street America’s President and CEO Patrice Frey. “These grant recipients demonstrate the creativity and passion for place we’ve seen in Main Street communities for decades, and we're excited to see their projects take shape. SGA is committed to the resilience of America's small towns, having worked in scores of towns and cities in rural places over the past 12 years,” said Smart Growth America’s President and CEO Calvin Gladney. “Each of the 25 towns selected to receive a T-Mobile grant demonstrated their imagination and commitment to a project that will enliven a sense of place and lift the lives of their citizens."
"The story behind hometown grants was based around T-Mobile's commitment to excellence the company's growth in rural communities not by building a store but how the company can be visible and how can the company make a difference" said sales representative Geff Dean
Moses Lake Mayor Dr. David Kunrel was present in the ceremony and said the Hometown Grant was the seed money the city needed for a creative arts district and tailor the downtown core to be more friendlier and more accessible to creative minds. Mayor Kurnel said more local musicians and bands who want to get their name out there would also benefit from the new district and could creative a more vibrant atmosphere and some nightlife the city needs.
"Smaller towns than Moses Lake, who adopt concepts like the Creative Arts District have seen creative and economic gains, you have a town people want to visit because there's more to see and more creative features to witness, and the town benefits because it's economically advantageous to them"
We also spoke with Downtown Moses Lake Association's director Lexi Smith who said the $50,000 will only go to downtown and help establish and create a creative community incubator and jump start the creative district process and help entrepreneurs move into a more professional setting to the downtown core along with bringing in maker's space, more retail, community zone for social gatherings, and art/production galleries.
The Downtown Association said if the Creative Arts is established the association will have eight specific tenants in the incubator and once there is room a group and/or individual wants to establish a business focused around the Creative District's ideals will then be welcomed. Lexi Smith the Downtown Association's director said if those in the community have any ideas on what the city should focus on or bring into consideration should connect with her on social media through the Downtown Association's social pages, by phone at (509)770-1270 or by email at Director@mlbcares.org and a meeting can be scheduled.
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