McDanel ‘excited’ for new year

2014 was a big year for the City of Maryville, and 2015 will be even bigger, according to City Manager Greg McDanel.

McDanel spoke to the Maryville Daily Forum earlier this month in order to summarize the changes and improvements in the city over the past year.

“One of the biggest projects will be the completion of Fourth Street,” McDanel said. “That’s a cooperative effort between the city and the university. We began this concept about two years ago. We look for that to be a significant transformative project from downtown to the university.”

The Maryville City Council approved a $2.1 million contract with Orr Wyatt Streetscapes of Kansas City for “Phase 1” construction of an overhaul for the five-block area along the West Fourth Street corridor between the courthouse square and Northwest Missouri State University.

“I’m very proud of the project,” McDanel said. “If you look at our grassroots effort to take two entities and work together, it’s not uncommon for universities and cities to have barriers between them, not just campus borders, but simply not working well together. I’m proud of our staff and the university’s leadership that work so well together. This project is going to have major impacts on the economic vitality of downtown.”

Along the same lines, McDanel said the city will continue to work on economic development in 2015.

“We have big plans,” he said. “We’re really looking forward to a lot of good things. 2015 will be a year for industrial growth in our community.”

With all the innovations and renovations during the past year, McDanel said the economic has reached a turning point.

“I think something special is happening here,” he said. “We’ve been blessed with good leadership from the City Council — they’ve remained progressive over the last couple years and has continued to invest in the infrastructure and the community. All their good decisions will lead to some good things this year.”

Although 2014 was filled with changes, McDanel hopes all facets of the economy will continue with progressive thinking in 2015.

“I think redevelopment is contagious,” he said. “Economic development is contagious. When it starts growing, it will benefit everyone in the community. You’re putting more people back to work; you’re giving more people options. Plus, with the continued success of the university, Maryville is headed in a great direction.”

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