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State Money Denied for Macomb Project

Rich Egger

Macomb will have to wait for state money to help pay for a major revitalization project -- and there is still no guarantee the money will ever come through.

The city hoped to receive around $1.2 million through a state enhancement program for its West Adams Street corridor project.  The state money would be combined with $750,000 in local funding to pay for the work.

But Mayor Mike Inman said the only improvement project the state decided to fund in this general region was in Elmwood.

“As you remember, Elmwood’s downtown was decimated by a tornado a couple years ago,” Inman said. “They need that kind of thing (the state funding) obviously.”

Inman said Macomb aldermen will be asked to consider filing a new application with the state.

The city has said West Adams is the second most heavily used entrance to the Western Illinois University campus. The plan is to remake the stretch of the street between Route 67 and Charles Street, which is where the campus begins.

The city is hoping for a mix of shops, restaurants, and homes.  Sidewalks could be widened and landscaping could be added. The city might also create a grand entrance to the corridor at the intersection with Route 67.

The first rough draft of the plan was unveiled four years ago.

Rich is TSPR's News Director.