Lincoln
Highway
Association
In Support
Last week, CAEDG Board member
Jamie Wilhau was contacted by
the Lincoln Highway Association,
who offered to lend their full sup-
port to the Clarence effort to gain
Main Street Iowa designation.
The LHA also confirmed that Clar-
ence is one of only two communi-
ties in Iowa whose Main Street still
coincides with the original Lincoln
Highway route. This remarkable
characteristic certainly makes the
Clarence business district unique.
CAEDG members visit with Joe Jennison, Mt. Vernon Main Street Director
City of Clarence Makes Landmark Move
to Support Downtown Revitalization
In a landmark move, the Clarence City Council, led by Mayor Jeric Armstrong, voted
unanimously on April 10 to support the application for Main Street Iowa designation. Not
only did the council sign the letter of support, they also pledged $10,000 annually to sup-
port the Main Street budget. This generous and forward-thinking pledge kicked off the
Main Street pledge efforts with a bang! With long stated goals of improving downtown,
the council has made a positive move in the direction of success for the Clarence busi-
ness district. Mayor Jeric Armstrong said “Clarence’s business district is much like
wheels in need of polish. In order to help put the shine back into our downtown, I am
supporting the community’s efforts to gain Main Street Iowa status!”
With the momentum of the construction of the new Clarence Public Library and the ex-
citement of the new fire station planning getting underway, the community is seeing a
boom in updates and development. Revitalizing the business district would continue to
encourage residential growth, as potential home buyers look to the qualities and ameni-
ties of a community when choosing a new home.