Joplin receives grant toward streetscape completion

Jul. 4—Joplin city officials have been notified that the city will receive a $3 million federal grant to spend toward finishing downtown streetscaping that had been started in 2006.

U.S. Rep. Billy Long secured the grant as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, the city said in a statement.

The grant will pay half of the cost to replace sidewalks in a stretch of Main Street from Eighth to 15th streets. That will complete a series of projects that started in the early 2000s to streetscape the downtown as well as post-tornado work to replace the decayed South Main Street roadbed and rebuild sidewalks, install plants and trees along the corridor and put in new streetlights.

"Downtown is the core of any community and serves as a magnet for a mixed-use of commercial and residential development, and Joplin is a great example of this," Mayor Doug Lawson said in a statement. "With help from Congressman Long, the streetscaping project on Main Street is poised to take a big step forward following an award of funds from the budget. More funding is necessary for the final phase to be possible."

The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2022 made grants available to be awarded through congressional members and administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the city said.

"I am thrilled to have contributed to the revitalization efforts on Main Street," Long said in a statement. "This critical investment into our community will have a lasting impact on downtown Joplin's burgeoning hub of commerce and residential development for years to come."

The total project cost is $6 million. The city will have to provide the remaining $3 million needed to move forward on the project, according to the city's statement.

"Commercial corridors of this magnitude are significant for a community," City Manager Nick Edwards said in a statement.

"Joplin has been well known for Route 66 since the mid-1900s, and we continue to see thousands of visitors to our city because of this historic highway. To have this stretch completed would be a huge boost to downtown and our community," Edwards said.