Federal Grant To Fund Shrewsbury Street Work

Shrewsbury residents living in the area south of Kenrick Manor Drive will see some improvements to their streets this year thanks to $15,000 in federal funding received by the city.

The funds are from the Community Development Block Grant program, an annual allocation by the Department of Housing and Urban Development given to cities and states to assist with projects that help low to moderate-income residents or improve infrastructure. This year, the city received $20,000 from the program.

At a meeting Tuesday, the Shrewsbury Board of Aldermen voted to divide the grant, with $15,000 funneled to road repairs and $5,000 contributed to the St. Louis County Home Improvement program. The allocation is the same as the city has done in previous years.

Public Works Administrator Tony Wagner said the Southwoods area of Shrewsbury qualifies for the street work through the CDBG funding because of a nearby assisted living facility. According to Wagner, the money will go toward concrete street slab replacement and is sorely needed.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” Wagner said of the grant funding. “Without this grant money, we would be doing very minimal street work.”

The St. Louis County Home Improvement program is also for low to moderate-income residents. In conjunction with local muncipalities, the county gives small loans (up to $5,000) to qualifying home owners. Wagner said typical projects include building a new front porch or fixing a broken water heater.

At the meeting Tuesday, city officials said no Shrewsbury residents have applied to the Home Improvement Program. The deadline to apply is July 8. Information about applying can be found here.