City will look different during Homecoming

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It’s that time again

Homecoming 2015 at Northwest Missouri State University is upon us.

A time for the community to unite, wear the green and white, celebrate traditions of the past, and embrace new traditions of the future.

A time for Bearcats, young and old, to experience the heightened emotion of the homecoming experience.

On Saturday, students and families will line the streets to witness the annual parade filled with familiar faces and abundant creativity.

This year, however, something will be different.

Many parade attendees will choose to line the completed reconstruction of Fourth Street and embrace the new surroundings. The $2 million collaboration between the City of Maryville and Northwest Missouri State University will be on full display for our enjoyment this weekend.

Former Bearcats returning for festivities will assuredly be impressed with the functional and aesthetic improvements completed earlier this summer.

In my profession it is difficult to quantify the impact placemaking can have on a community; nonetheless I can assure you that together, we have accomplished something special

Placemaking strengthens the connection between people, places, and memories they share. Memories of previous homecomings and parades may be conjured as people embrace new experiences along the corridor.

As for me, I vividly remember sitting on a failed retaining wall just west of Fillmore, thinking about my plans after the big game. If you had told me then that one day I’d return to share the homecoming experience with my daughter, who’s simply excited to wear pajamas to school this week, I may not have believed you.

Life experiences and memories are naturally shaped by the setting around you.

As city officials continue to focus on key community corridors, it is important to note that placemaking and the built environment are drivers in economic development and tourism.

Does anyone remember the appearance of Munn Avenue prior to 2013?

How many CEOs or potential residents were driving by Maryville High School on a roadway that didn’t reflect our pride in the end destination?

These same concepts were major factors for the Fourth Street Project and will be significant influences on plans for South Main Street.

Functional and aesthetic improvements are long overdue for South Main and the City Council has now included funds for design and engineering in the FY16 budget.

It can be argued that South Main Street ultimately impacts every citizen and visitor to Maryville.

South Main is not only the immediate first-impression of the community for the majority, but the end destination for many of our retail needs. This corridor should reflect our community pride, our appreciation for business, and our high quality-of-life.

Disruptive changes such as these do not come without sacrifice. Undoubtedly, there will be a time during initiatives when drivers, property owners, and businesses will be inconvenienced.

I am confident, however, that if you were to ask residents along Munn Avenue and Fourth Street about inconvenience, they will say the outcome was worth it.

Both Munn Avenue and Fourth Street were direct beneficiaries of a community supported one-half of 1 percent sales tax for the city’s Capital Improvement Program.

That sales tax equates to 50 cents on a $100 purchase.

That amount has financed nearly 10 years of improvements and necessary equipment purchases for the community.

As we approach the tax sunset in 2018, please remember the renewal of this funding is critical to continue improving our community. Future projects to address issues on South Main Street will rely heavily on the continued support of the CIP.

As citizens and visitors drive throughout the community for Homecoming 2015, it will be difficult to miss the transformation.

Progress on projects, progress in housing, business expansion, enhancements to educational facilities; the list is expansive.

It is our task as community leaders, citizens, neighbors, Bearcats, and champions of Maryville to continue this exciting wheel in motion.

Please enjoy the weekend’s activities along a rejuvenated Fourth Street, yet realize this is only the beginning.