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Politics & Government

City Council Approves Streetscape Design Contract for Jeffco

Model project could be the first step in revitalizing northern Jeffco Boulevard, City Administrator said.

The northern entrance to Arnold on Jeffco Boulevard will soon be getting a facelift.

The Arnold City Council has approved a $14,911 contract with Planning Design Studio, a planning, urban design and landscape architecture firm in downtown St. Louis, for streetscape design services to enhance the city's entrance on Jeffco Boulevard near the Meramec River.

“It’s in the general vicinity of north Jeffco near the bridge,” Arnold Community Development Engineer Christie Hull Bettale said. “It will be in combination or on one side or the other on the side where the park is located or near the athletic fields.”

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The city has a $75,000 grant from the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to pay for the project. The money, designated for city beautification, must be spent by Sept. 30, or the federal government will retract the grant.

Hull Bettale said the design work is scheduled to be completed by July 15, after which the city will accept bids on the streetscaping work.

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Arnold’s Hometown Plan, adopted in 2009, calls to revitalize northern Jeffco Boulevard from the Meramec River to Highway 141.

City Administrator Matt Unrein said the idea of the current streetscaping project is to develop a model section, using city-owned property, to show what a revitalized northern Jeffco Boulevard might look like.

“We thought we could do a model block showcasing some of the ideas that were developed as a part of that plan and beautify several hundred feet where people cross the Meramec at north Jeffco,” Unrein said.

Unrein said the beautification effort could include sidewalks, street lighting, benches and street planters between the river and Arnold City Park as an example of what could one day include the entire northern stretch of Jeffco Boulevard.

Community Development Director Mary Holden said it will be up to Planning Design Studio to develop an exact plan based on the city’s budget.

“We’ve got a limited amount of money, so we’re going to do what we can,” Holden said.

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