As a City, we are constantly on the lookout for grant money from state and federal agencies that will assist with projects that we are working on. While there are not many grants that will pay for the entire project, most grants are either matching or a percentage of the cost of the project.
The City has received two grants recently. The first grant was awarded to the local partnership of the City of River Falls, the River Falls Economic Development Corporation, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and the Chippewa Valley Technical College. The partners were awarded a $1.42 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration Investments for Public Works and Economic Development Facilities. This matching grant will help fund the creation and construction of the St. Croix Valley Business Incubator in the Sterling Ponds Corporate Park. The St. Croix Valley Business Incubator will have approximately 13,000 square feet dedicated to general manufacturing and approximately 18,000 square feet occupied by offices and common areas. The incubator is set to open in the fall of 2016. Please see the Press Release for more information!
The second grant the City has received is for the Heritage Park to West Division Street Trail. This grant is a matching grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources totaling $239,000. The purpose of this project is to complete an important link in the City's trail system. The trail is located adjacent to our downtown and will be an integral part of the City's continuing efforts to promote River Falls as a regional destination for tourism and economic activity. The goal of the project is to continue our long term planning efforts to complete a trail system that will ultimately connect our system to adjacent communities and other regional destinations.
The pathway extension will link to the existing Kinnickinnic Pathway and connects to the Veterans Park Pedestrian Bridge over the Kinnickinnic River. The pathway then follows the Kinnickinnic River under the Maple Street Bridge and past City Hall. The pathway ends by connecting to a sidewalk on West Division Street. The trail will be usable for walking, biking and access to the river for fishing, nature study and birding as well as a prime site for community festivals and events.
We are very lucky here at the City to have some great grant writers, especially City Planner/Urban Forester Tony Steiner. Without them we would never be able to complete so many projects and to keep this City as beautiful and vibrant as it is. So get out and enjoy your City and what the grants have been able to help us provide!
Mayor Dan Toland