Missouri’s $2.7 billion chunk of American Rescue Plan Act funding continues to be distributed throughout the state.
The ARPA law, signed early in President Joe Biden’s term, allocated $1.9 trillion in U.S. taxpayer money for a wide variety of “recovery” spending in the aftermath of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Late last week, Gov. Mike Parson announced $410 million of Missouri’s ARPA funding would go toward a selection of community water infrastructure grants, chosen from at least 1,000 applications made by local governments across the state. The applications were scored based on financial need, engineering capability and necessity of the project.
In a written statement, Gov. Parson said in part, “these grants will leverage even greater local and private investments to help boost our competitiveness for economic development projects and ensure our communities in every corner of Missouri are finding success."
On Tuesday, City of Springfield officials said in a news release that the city was awarded $17 million in state water infrastructure grants that will go toward 14 specific projects in the area.
The biggest slice of that funding — $5 million — will go toward the Renew Jordan Creek project downtown, focused on areas between Main Avenue and Boonville Avenue.
According to the city, Renew Jordan Creek “involves significant modifications to existing floodplain and floodway areas along Jordan Creek and may entail daylighting portions of Jordan Creek currently confined within the concrete box culverts (daylighting refers to the restoration of a stream back to a more natural state).”
Another $4.4 million will go toward a pair of projects aimed at improving stormwater and right of way on Scenic Avenue, in two sections: From Olive Street in central Springfield to Catalpa Street, and from Catalpa Street south to Sunshine Street.
The other 11 projects are listed here, from the largest grant to the smallest.
- Glenwood Regional Stormwater Detention Basin and Rockhurst Street Stormwater Improvements - $2 million
- Stormwater Improvements from Bennett Street and Meadowview Avenue to Loren Street and Karla Avenue - $838,000
- Stormwater and Right of Way Improvements on Hilton Avenue (Mt. Vernon Street to near Walnut Street) - $838,000
- Stormwater Improvements near Lone Pine Avenue and Catalpa Street - $734,000
- Fairgrounds Green Infrastructure Project - $700,000
- Stormwater Improvements near Roanoke Avenue and Delmar Street - $608,000
- Stormwater and Right of Way Improvements along Pacific Street to Golden Avenue - $605,000
- Stormwater Improvements near Division Street and Ohara Avenue - $555,000
- Chestnut Regional Stormwater Detention Basin - $289,000
- Stormwater and Right of Way Improvements along Nichols Street (Hutchinson Avenue to near Dickerson Avenue) - $205,000
- Stormwater and Right of Way Improvements along Clifton Avenue (Kearney Street to High Street) - $187,000
Approved grant funding is required to be spent by the end of 2026, city officials said.
