Special by Kyle Kramm, City of Seguin Main Street and CVB director
(Seguin) — In 2016, Main Street America (MSA) launched the pilot round of the Historic Commercial District Revolving Fund (HCDRF), administered in partnership with the Texas Main Street Program (TMSP) and made possible by generous support from The 1772 Foundation, Inc. In 2019, the success of the pilot program in San Augustine, Texas, and Texarkana, Texas, allowed MSA to expand the HCDRF into three communities in Maine, in partnership with the Maine Downtown Center.
Now, in 2020, MSA and TMSP have extended the HCDRF into three new Texas Main Street communities: Rockwall, Seguin, and Winnsboro. This fund will provide $55,000 in zero percent interest loans for façade improvements and COVID-19 space management projects.
In Seguin, a $10,000 loan is being provided to the Greater Second Baptist Church at 208 South Crockett Street for roof repairs. The loan will allow the church to address the immediate need and pay for the repair over time.
“Our church has been in need of a roof for a very long time and as a small organization we have not been able to afford the repair,” said Commie Holmes, representative for the Greater Second Baptist Church, “This loan will get us to our fundraising goal and allow us to make the repair.”
The Greater Second Baptist Church just celebrated its 44th Anniversary of being in downtown Seguin, and its sanctuary is a contributing structure to Seguin’s Downtown Commercial Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
As the new loans are repaid, the Seguin Main Street Program hopes that other Seguin properties will be able to take advantage of this loan opportunity in the future.
Main Street America is thrilled to continue its partnership with Texas Main Street Program’s team of experienced leaders and expert design staff, as well as Seguin Main Street, Rockwall Main Street, and the Winnsboro Main Street program. Many thanks again to The 1772 Foundation, Inc. for its continued support.
