ROCHELLE — On Tuesday, Dec. 10, the City of Rochelle presented a facade grant check for $4,537.50 to Rudy Hernandez, the owner of the Lincoln Mall building at 425 Lincoln Highway in Rochelle. 

The facade grant program covers half the cost of any improvements made to business fronts in town with a limit of $5,000. The improvements included new awnings in the front and back of the building. Hernandez was on hand to accept the check Tuesday along with his mother, Josie Mounts, who owns the building next door. 

“Seeing the difference from how it used to be has been awesome,” Hernandez said. “Everybody is excited. We chose the color to represent Rochelle and wanted to make sure we stay Hub proud here.”

“The new awning is very inviting,” Mounts said. “It gives us a fresh facelift and something new. We're trying to encourage and promote foot traffic and beautify Rochelle.”

The Lincoln Mall building is utilized for both residential and commercial use. There are apartments on the top floor and business space down below. Hernandez and Mounts have plans for their buildings in the future including redevelopment after they’ll soon be working with an architectural firm.  Hernandez thanked the city for its support of small businesses and for showing citizens that it believes in their dreams. 

“These grant funds were much needed,” Hernandez said. “It helps us to make our visions come true. When you get support from the city, you feel like you're part of the community. And you know that you're doing it for everybody here. We're all a team and we all want to see good things happen.”

City Community Development Director Michelle Pease said the facade grant project gives the city the opportunity to help continue improvements downtown. The new purple awning can serve as a landmark in the area for people to meet at, she said. Pease thanked the mayor and city council for their support of the program and local businesses for investing in the community.

The city budgets $30,000 each year for facade grants. The one to the Lincoln Mall building was its final grant of 2024. The program is headed up by City Community Development Specialist Michelle Knight. 

“This is probably one of the most enjoyable projects we do,” Knight said. “We like seeing the changes. It's fun to go around town and look and see what's been done over the years and the improvements that have been made.”