The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Derelict Building Grant Program has announced the award of nearly $400,000 in grants to 12 rural Iowa communities to help deconstruct or renovate abandoned structures, remove asbestos, and limit construction and demolition materials going to the landfill.
The DNR Derelict Building Grant Program was instituted by statute to help rural communities with populations of 5,000 or less. The department awards funding annually on a competitive basis and requires cash matches.
Since the first round of funding in 2011, the program has diverted more than 48,000 tons of construction and demolition materials from state landfills, removed more than 1,000 tons of asbestos-containing materials, and saved participating communities more than $1.6 million in landfill disposal costs. Several towns have added commercial business, expanded fire and emergency management resources, and addressed public health and budgetary concerns by removing or renovating old abandoned buildings.
For more information about the program, click here.
