The Hilltop Campus Village announced this week that it received $20,000 from the Scott County Regional Authority for the ongoing renovation of its offices at 122 E. 15th St., Davenport.
In 2021, through a gift from Ascentra Credit Union, the Main Street Iowa organization received its current office building and had plans to renovate and market the space as a non-profit and small business incubator space.
The first phase of HCV’s plans now is being realized through multiple grants through the Scott County Regional Authority ($20,000), the Regional Development Authority ($55,000), and the Community Foundation of the Quad Cities ($9,700).
Phase one of the renovation will convert the former bank lobby into a meeting area where board meetings and workshops can be hosted. Through the Community Foundation grant, the HCV has already upgraded its technology offerings to host such activities in the future. Additionally, the HCV is hoping that with current funds to be able to remodel the bathrooms into an ADA compliant bathroom, and to remodel and update the kitchen area.
The project’s goal is to create affordable office space for a new entrepreneur or nonprofit in need of facilities. Rejuvenate Housing also is currently housed in the building and is using it as a base of operations as it moves forward with its work of creating affordable new housing in the central Davenport neighborhood.
“The Hilltop Campus Village is excited to move forward with this project. For years the HCV was without a permanent home, and that put a strain on the organization. With this investment from SCRA, and other partners, we can create that space where we can support our local small business owners and our surrounding neighborhood,” HCV Executive Director Brian Kramer said in a news release announcing the grant.
“We have already started doing that by opening our doors to such organizations like Rejuvenate Housing, the Small Business Development Center, and the East Bluff Neighborhood Association. We are excited for the future of the Hilltop.”
“There are so many vibrant things going on here. … The Hilltop is a main part of Davenport,” Mr. Kramer told the QCBJ in an interview this spring after he was hired.
During that interview, Mr. Kramer outlined these goals for the organization:
- Help end some wrong and negative perceptions about the Hilltop. Some of those wrong views include that the Hilltop has a problem with crime and there is not much to do in the area. The truth is, he said, crime is not a great problem and there are many great businesses and activities in the Hilltop.
- Business owners in the area want more access to programs to help develop and grow their operations. During one of his many meetings, Mr. Kramer met with the Donuts & More owner who wanted to see if empty land near the doughnut shop could be developed.
- Business owners want more Hilltop activities to help draw people to the neighborhood.
For more information about the office project and the organization, contact Mr. Kramer at Brian@hilltopcampusvillage.org.
