The Marion County Board discussed plans Tuesday night for a proposed $1-million dollar plus downtown parking lot planned for the two vacant lots the county owns in the 200 block of North Broadway.
Building Committee Chair Dr. Creighton Engel says a number of enhancements will be included in the grant funding request to the State Main Street Revitalization Grant.
“The original estimate was $850,000. That was with just for the parking lot. So we decided to incorporate a green area, pavilion, and some other things to make it more usable downtown for not only the county but the city. That makes a lot more sense to make it multipurpose instead of just parking.”
Electric car charging stations and solar lighting have also been added.
Trish Lund from the South Central Illinois Regional Planning Commission says letters of support have been pouring in from downtown business owners and government leaders.
The application is due January 10th. Lund says the county should know if approval is granted around June. Actual construction could be completed by the end of next year.
