Morris Mayor boasts successful grant projects at State of the City

Morris Mayor Chris Brown discussed the city’s many successful projects that were made possible by grant funding from the state and federal governments, as well as private grants during Wednesday’s State of the City address.

Brown said over the last year, the city finished work on West Side Park, which was made possible by a $600,000 Open Space, Land, Acquisition and Development grant and a $650,000 housing rehabilitation grant for low and moderate income homeowners to make critical repairs.

He said the city has approved six grants to four households that will be helped soon, and the money should go toward improving their quality of life and preserving property values in the neighborhoods.

“This is not about bricks and mortar,” Brown said. “It’s about dignity, equity and ensuring that long-time residents are not left behind in the progress we’re making together.”

Brown said there soon will be new wayfinding signs in the city, which were also made possible by grant funding.

“I’m proud that the city has begun work placing new wayfinding signs along Route 47, which will direct traffic to points of interest throughout the community,” Brown said. “For many years, we’ve heard we didn’t know there was a Liberty Street, or we didn’t know there was a downtown. Well, guess what? These signs will point you in the right direction, especially those that don’t know our community and want to see what’s part of it.”

The city of Morris has also received a $2.85 million grant for a new pedestrian path, between Calhoun Street and West Avenue, a $771,000 Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Street Grant and more.

Brown said the city has received about $32 million in grants in the last four years, an estimated $6,400 per household or $2,200 per resident.