Streator seeks grants for downtown facades, park lighting

The Streator City Council approved two applications Wednesday to obtain $90,000 more for its downtown facade grant program, as well as $5,000 to improve lighting in Central Park.

Streator is looking to double the size of its downtown facade grant program through grant money from La Salle County’s American Rescue Plan Act. The county recently announced an application period to March 15 to apply for the remainder of its $22 million.

If the city is selected for the ARPA funding, it will be able to offer six more grants. The program allows businesses, with a preference given to the downtown, to apply for up to $15,000 to improve the look of its storefront to a pre-1950s era style. The program has distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to dozens of businesses since the program began in 2014, reshaping the downtown.

There is one facade grant available in the 2024 budget, said City Engineer Jeremy Palm. He added he has two other applications in the works and the council has placed two on file that have not been approved, meaning at least three of those businesses will have to wait until 2025 if new funding is not added to the program.

In addition to its request for facade grant funding, the city also applied for $5,000 from ComEd’s Green Regions program for installation of new lighting and security upgrades at Central Park. The city applied for this grant in 2022, but it was not selected. The program was not available in 2023.

If the city receives funding, it would install three globe light fixtures, similar in style to those in place at City Park, and security cameras. The city would have to match the $5,000 grant.