Innovative financing aids Fourth Street
You just never know what kind of a project you can put together when you really set your mind to it.
Especially if it is a project that is as exciting as it is needed.
And you gather support from multiple sources — some expected, and some that were really not anticipated.
Such is the developing story revolving around the overhaul of Maryville’s West Fourth Street between the Nodaway County Courthouse Square and the main entrance to Northwest Missouri State University.
The Maryville City Council Wednesday night approved a $2.1 million contract with Orr Wyatt Streetscapes of Kansas City for the reconstruction of what has become known locally as the Fourth Street Corridor.
The principals involved in Orr Wyatt Streetscapes have already earned their stripes in Maryville, having been the primary contractor for last summer’s South Munn Avenue project, which through no fault of their own actually spilled over into this spring.
The city council, City Manager Greg McDanel and Assistant City Manager Ryan Heiland have put extensive planning and negotiation time into every phase of the project, which sprang to the forefront of the council’s agenda during budget planning sessions two years ago. In the process, the scope of work involved expanded from being a relatively simple development of a walking trail and a resurfacing of the street into the full-blown project it is today.
The related costs escalated accordingly, and therein lies the real story behind the contract, and its alternates, accepted by the council this week.
Seemingly every potential funding source was investigated, and many of them have been brought to bear to make the rebuilding a reality.
Northwest President John Jasinski came on board early, and ultimated provided more than $150,000 from the university for signage and other architectural features that will turn a rather mundane project into something special.
Approximately $390,000 in Neighborhood Assistance Program tax credits are being sold to provide another significant part of the package.
Water and sewer funds will be utilized to replace lengthy segments of the city’s infrastructure in the area, and savings from the city’s on-going trails project are being brought into play.
Add in an additional $440,000 in Missouri Department of Transportation grants, and you’ve got yourself a nationally recognized project.
With that one safely in the bank, now the city council can focus more attention on the revitalization of South Main Street and bringing a long-overdue lodge and conference center facility to the offerings at Mozingo Lake Recreation Park.
