The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) awarded $930,808 in Main Street Iowa Challenge Grants to 10 communities around the state. Main Street Washington received $100,000 to rehabilitate and restore the building at 106 S. Iowa Ave. The business that will be going in will be called Libations on Iowa, and will feature a selection of craft beers, cocktails, wine, and bites. There will also be an upper-level event space, for meetings or celebrations. 

The grants are administered through IEDA’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa programs. The funding will be distributed in the form of matching grants to the selected Main Street programs. The estimated total cost of these 10 projects is more than $3.3 million. Since the first Challenge Grants were awarded in 2002, more than $15.5 million in funds have leveraged more than $70.5 million in further investment.