May 14 – Efforts to beautify the Sixth Street corridor are ramping up in anticipation of a future Downtown attraction.
The city approved the use of $220,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to replace sidewalks on the east and south sides of the Children’s Discovery Center at 521 Felix St. during Monday night’s City Council meeting.
It is part of the funds already allocated for improving infrastructure in the blocks surrounding the discovery center.
“Sidewalks are one of the things that the city wanted (to do) to make sure that we get that corridor in good condition so that it’s safe for the residents walking to and from that discovery center,” said Abe Forney, director of Public Work and transport.
A local mother said she is excited about the upcoming project because downtown sidewalks could use some improvement.
“I think this is a good addition to Downtown, you know, a good improvement,” Angel Sandberg said. “The center has really come to life in recent years, and I find that quite exciting.”
Sandberg has taken her children to Science City at Union Station in Kansas City, and she hopes the Children’s Discovery Center offers a similar learning experience.
“Having been there, there are a lot of educational resources, especially for the little ones, and that would be something we would like to see,” she said.
The Children’s Discovery Center will open in the fourth quarter of 2024. The city plans to begin pouring concrete for the new sidewalks before the discovery center opens that time frame.
“So from what I’m told, it looks like they’ll start pouring concrete for those sidewalks around July,” he said.
