Downtown, South Side buildings to receive revitalization funds
By Riley Funk
Several spots in town are getting a spruce up thanks to support from city leaders.
The River Bluff Gateway Project is a revitalization effort that makes improvements in the areas of King Hill Avenue, St. Joseph Avenue, the Sixth Street corridor and places in Downtown. The St. Joseph City Council approved four separate bills to fund projects at two locations at last week’s meeting.
The first is a project that will install new windows at InterServ, 228 Cherokee St., for $16,830. The property is used as a youth facility, according to city documents.
The second project involves work at Club Geek, 815 Francis St. About $5,000 will go to installing a new entry door, a vinyl graphic entryway and artwork for the entryway.
City manager Bryan Carter said the River Bluff Gateway Project revitalization efforts are unique because funds are being spread out for entire corridors, not just one property.
“You’re not seeing those hundreds of thousands of dollars usually going into one property, one façade, one building, but you’re seeing it spread among several along the corridor,” Carter said.
According to city documents, the Missouri Department of Economic Development awarded the city $2.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds in March of 2023 for the project.
Carter admits there is a balancing act in selecting projects to fund to have the most impact in an area.
“We have to be sure that we’re making the most of those funds, that we don’t don’t do projects that are so small they don’t actually make an impact on the corridor,” Carter said. “It’s a real balance finding that place where the corridor’s impacted but the funds are spread appropriately up and down that corridor.”
Funding passed at the March 18 meeting follows preceding bills for the River Bluff Gateway Project. At the March 4 meeting, two bills were approved.
The first was an agreement with Community Missions to install a cement parking area for $31,600 at 700 Olive St. The second was to assist the YWCA. Funds will help replace a portion of the roof at 323 N. Eighth St., with the grant totaling $38,770.
