Poplar Bluff will be able to asphalt seven gravel city streets thanks to nearly $500,000 in grant money from the Department of Economic Development.
The money comes in the form of a Community Block Development Grant.
City manager Matt Winters cautioned the city council at a recent meeting that the work will likely not take place until the spring of 2022, but said the city is grateful for the funding.
“That’s exciting to get to see that many of our city streets that are going to be asphalted,” Winters said. “I know that’s been a discussion for a lot of years (for) the city council, was gravel streets in town and the need to get those paved. This is going to take a big chunk of those and get them paved.”
The city will be able to make improvements to a combined two miles of streets, according to city documents. The roadways impacted will include Abington, Bradley, and Center streets, Clare, Clyde, and Marion avenues, as well as North Riverview Drive.
“The grant is going to provide the engineering work and the materials, the asphalt, and then our street department is going to provide the labor to do that paving,” Winters said.
Several steps will take place before work begins, including environmental assessments and engineering.
The grant money comes from the regular disbursement of CDBG money, which awarded more than $15 million in projects across the state.
The city also received disaster recovery CDBG money for stormwater infrastructure and emergency equipment. Just over $700,000 will allow the city to make stormwater system repairs and upgrades on three city streets, Maud, Valley and Cynthia. Another $50,000 will fund an emergency generator, which will be installed at the PBPD during construction on Shelby Road.