Downtown Revitalization

The City of El Dorado Springs recently completed a downtown revitalization project. Like many downtowns, our downtown business activity has declined over the past twenty years. As a result, less maintenance has been done on the businesses. Also, the infrastructure needs repairs.

Several concerned citizens formed a not-for-profit called Spring City Revitalization Group (SCRG). This group assisted in getting private businesses to make pledges for maintenance work on their businesses. The City then took these pledges as a matching requirement for a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The City was awarded a $400,000 CDBG grant. The City then applied for a Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) grant. The City was then awarded a $250,000 MoDOT Enhancement grant.

The project caught the attention of a former resident, Glen Jones. He noticed the project, the interest and excitement it created in the community. Mr. Jones donated $50,000 to the project and requested that the sidewalk on Main Street, in front of the park, be named after his father, Herman H. Jones, a former council member.

You will find an artist’s rendering of what the project will look like below. You will notice that the diamond pattern in the sidewalk is comprised of bricks and granite pieces. SCRG is taking donations from individuals or organizations that would like to have names of individuals permanently engraved in the brick or larger granite pieces. Click here for a link to this program.

Update - The project was completed in early summer 2010.