Two Main Street Oakland County (MSOC)
communities - Pontiac and Holly - are among five downtowns nationally that are
each receiving $50,000 grants from the 2024 GM on Main Street Grant Program.
These grants are being given by General Motors and Main Street America to
support place-making initiatives near GM facilities.
Main Street Pontiac will use their grant
for their Saginaw Green Maker Village project. Main Street Holly will use their
grant for the Beautify Holly Battle Alley Social District and Ganshaw Park
projects.
“The collaboration between the Main Street programs and General Motors is helping to make our historic downtowns and Main Streets the vibrant places where people want to live and visit and businesses want to locate and expand,” said Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter.
The criteria for evaluating the grant applications prioritized placemaking, innovation, inclusivity and feasibility. It also ensured that successful projects could be modeled or scaled for other Main Street programs to adopt.
“GM on Main Street has become a catalyst for place-based progress in our hometowns and communities across the U.S.,” said Heidi Magyar, executive director of corporate giving at General Motors. “We’re proud to work with Main Street America as they help connect resources to these important and worthy nonprofit and municipality projects.”
The grant will aid Holly in replacing some streetscape items that were damaged in the 2022 fire.
“We will replace and upgrade tree planters, benches, and trash cans in Battle Alley that were damaged in the 2022 fire,” said Nick Klempp, executive director of the Holly Downtown Development Authority and Main Street Program. “Battle Alley is a pedestrian-only social district in Holly’s downtown that offers an accessible, free place for residents and visitors to gather and enjoy events.”
“We are so pleased that our collaborative efforts to apply for and win these large, highly valued General Motors’ placemaking grants paid off,” said John Bry, administrator of the MSOC Coordinating Program and Local Business Development, Oakland County. “Following the fire, we have been helping Downtown Holly with crowdfunding campaigns, design assistance, and in securing financing for a property owner that needs to totally rebuild her business and home. In addition, I am really looking forward to seeing Pontiac’s Saginaw Green Maker Village vision come to life.”
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