Grantwood Village Blog: Meeting Update and Federal Grant Status

First and foremost, finances. At the end of January, the Village reported having $255,991 in the bank. This is remarkable, and quite possibly an unprecedented amount to have on hand. We are very proud of our strong financial report and the outlook continues to look positive.  

Our Town Hall is 15 years old and in need a few minor updates and repairs. After contacting 5 contractors with 3 returning bids, the Trustees approved the installation of a new floor for the hallway and kitchen area. This will match the flooring in the lobby. This year’s budget allowed for $5,000 of improvements and repairs, and this $2,900 expenditure keeps right in line with the budget.

Last weekend, Trustees inspected, marked and measured all Village streets and began working on a Streets Plan for the next 2 to 3 fiscal years. The next round of concrete work will hopefully begin in the spring or early summer. We are also exploring the possibility of storing some historical records, such as old maps and minutes, at the Historic Site. The Village Code was updated to include new and/or changed ordinances from the year; the updated version can be found on our website.

Finally, Officer Mike reported the Village saw a few minor incidents this past month. Two mailboxes were destroyed in what appears to be random incidents.  Two walkers on the Trail reported another Trail user exposing himself. The incident occurred after 9pm and no one was harmed.  

At the December Board meeting, we discussed a Federal Grant we applied for to help improve, both aesthetically and safety wise, Grant Road from Gravois to the entrance to the Farm. We have entitled the proposal The Grantwood Village Historical Corridor Enhancement and Safety Project and it is part of the Public Lands Highway Program Discretionary Grants Program. This program grants funds to highways leading to publicly owned sites and land.

The proposal includes a new stone and brick entrance sign, welcoming visitors not only to Grantwood, but to the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site and Grant’s Farm. Solar powered architectural lighting to improve visibility along Grant Road, especially during flash flooding, and Grant’s Trail. The light poles will also be adorned with small banners depicting various historical figures from the Busch and Grant families. Other safety improvements include removing the one larger gravel area and paving the smaller one. The smaller gravel area is mainly used as a turn around for motorists not able to make a left from the Old Grantwood entrances.  This proposal has the endorsement of the Historic Site and was warmly received by Grant’s Farm.

Several residents have also welcomed the improvement plans. Some concerns about the scale of this project have been raised. This proposal has two main objectives: safety and beautification. This road leads to one of the most visited tourist attractions in St. Louis and a National Park Service Site, both in Grantwood, and should reflect the area around it. It also gives us the opportunity to make small, subtle improvements for safety. We only envision improving the area, not making it a large, highly visible attraction. We are not sure when we will hear about the grant, but hope, should we receive it, we are able to complete the project before the end of the year.  The last federal grant for which the Village applied was the COPS Fast program in the mid 1990’s. This provided funding for a second, full time police officer.