NATCHEZ &045;&045; Mini-grants will soon be available to help downtown business owners spruce up the upper-story fa?ades of their buildings.

The Natchez Downtown Development Association and the Historic Natchez Foundation are sponsoring the program, &uot;Downtown Natchez &045;&045; Looking Up.&uot;

With an initial pool of $11,000 from grants and business contributions, the program will reimburse the property owner for up to one-third of the funding for window repair and replacement with a maximum grant of $2,000 per property owner.

The money can be used to repair or replace deteriorated or missing upper-story windows on commercial buildings downtown.

&uot;We had a limited amount of money, and people have constantly complained about (boarded-up windows), that they give downtown a seedy appearance even if the downstairs looks OK,&uot; said Mimi Miller, director of preservation and education for the foundation.

&uot;It’s a way to make the most dramatic statement with a limited amount of money,&uot; Miller said.

Tammi Mullins, executive director of NDDA, agreed.

&uot;It’s one way we can make a difference without putting out a lot of money,&uot; Mullins said.

She added the foundation and NDDA hope to make the grant program an annual program but said other types of projects will be chosen for subsequent years.

The deadline for submitting a grant application is Sept. 1. Applicants receiving funding will be notified by Sept. 15. The deadline for completing the work will be March 1, but funds cannot be used to reimburse property owners for work that was started before the grant selection process.

Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis with selections made by a grants committee composed of members of the boards of NDDA and HNF.

Priority will be given to projects that make the greatest impact on the appearance of downtown Natchez.

All proposed work must meet the nationally recognized standards outlined in the National Park Service’s Standards for Rehabilitation and will be approved and supervised by the staffs of NDDA and HNF.

The following businesses and organizations have made financial contributions to the grant program:

4Entergy ($3,000)

4Masterson Trust of the Historic Natchez Foundation ($3,000)

4The Natchez Democrat ($1,000)

4Britton and Koontz First National Bank ($1,000)

4Concordia Bank and Trust Co. ($1,000)

4United Mississippi Bank ($1,000)

4Isle of Capri Casino ($1,000)