2008 Woodie Awards
DREAM revitalization begins in downtown
Bonnie Birdsell
Issue date: 10/25/07 Section: News
|
In August, Gov. Matt Blunt announced Kirksville would be included in the Downtown Revitalization and Economic Assistance for Missouri Program. This week marked the beginning of the process of bringing the program to Kirksville.
Mayor Martha Rowe said the representatives from the state were in town to get to know Kirksville and the people they would be working with. She said they were in the beginning stages of a three-year process and did not have all the goals ironed out yet.
"We've been working downtown, and we have plans in place," Rowe said.
When Blunt visited Kirksville on Aug. 30, he said the DREAM initiative will help revitalize small and medium-sized towns.
"Kirksville's DREAM designation will provide them the tools they need to effectively revitalize their city center," Blunt said during his visit.
Kirksville has been included in the second wave of DREAM cities, along with Aurora, Caruthersville, Clinton, Maryville, Mexico, Poplar Bluff, Sikeston and Trenton. During the three-year process, each DREAM city will receive $3 million from the state.
"I'm glad that the state of Missouri has decided to invest so much time and money into our community," said sophomore Greg Goodwin, a Kirksville native.
Rowe said that one of the initial projects will be to make Franklin Street more attractive, a process that has already begun.
"[Franklin] is an important street," Goodwin said. "It's the main thoroughfare from campus to downtown for students."
Goodwin said Kirksville's location as a midway point between larger cities such as Columbia, St. Louis, Kansas City and Des Moines makes it a prime candidate for the DREAM initiative.
"We really are the heart of ... Missouri," he said. "We have a lot of history. I think that's part of the reason we were selected for the DREAM initiative."
"It's exciting," Rowe said. "We are hopeful that it will be an excellent experience."
Be the first to comment on this story