Ionia secures $2.6 million in grants for library and transit expansion

The city of Ionia has secured more than $2.6 million in state grants to renovate a former downtown bank into a new community library and expand public transportation services. The Ionia Community Library received a $1.5 million grant from the Make it in Michigan Competitiveness Fund, while the city’s Transportation Department was awarded a $1,110,859 Infrastructure Projects Authority Fund grant.

The library project will convert the former Mercantile Bank building on Main Street into a facility offering workforce training, tutoring, and collaborative learning spaces. Library officials stated that the grant brings the project within $100,000 of its Phase 1 funding goal, which includes matching a $2.1 million federal grant secured by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters.

The transportation grant will expand the city’s I-Go service by adding three accessible vehicles and two new weekday routes. The expansion will also introduce out-of-county non-emergency medical transportation to help residents reach specialized health care facilities beyond Ionia County.

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