The Knox City Council approved a monetary commitment for the Constellation of Starke Stellar initiative when members met last Tuesday.
Members considered a resolution that would permit the allocation of $400,000 over the next four years for the grant matches that are anticipated for projects that have been established in the Stellar Communities Regional Development Plan.
The resolution was passed with a unanimous vote.
Mayor Dennis Estok noted that the money would be coming out of the Community Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) Fund and that there is enough funding there for these expenses to be incorporated into the budget.
He shared read through some of the projects that are being considered for the City.
Estok explained, “So if we win the Stellar, these are some of the projects that we are going to be submitting and are hopefully approved; park improvements, downtown facade, streetscape – which includes pavement designs, banners, way-finding signage and all that.”
Estok noted that the proposed park improvements include demolishing the pavilion closest to the river and building a new one closer to the splash pad, establishing better parking and lighting near the splash pad and making renovations to the existing maintenance and concession stand building.
Project details will be discussed more at the Constellation of Starke Community Outreach Event at the Nancy J. Demobwski Community Center in Knox, this Wednesday at 6 p.m.
