Town of Eaton Awarded Revitalizing Main Streets Grant
EATON- The Town of Eaton received a Revitalizing Main Streets grant award of $50,000 from the Colorado Department of Transportation for its Main Street Improvements Project. The project will place park benches, self-watering planters, an additional parklet, bump-outs for safety, bike racks, and wayfinding signage along 1st Street in downtown Eaton. The bump-outs will be placed at the intersection of 1st and Elm streets where it has been noted as a hazardous crossing for pedestrians.
“Eaton’s main streets will look even more beautiful with help from this state support,” said Governor Jared Polis. “I’m pleased to see the town creating spaces for pedestrians and cyclists to enjoy, and which support the economic activity and jobs that help power the Colorado Comeback.”
“This is a great opportunity to improve safety for pedestrians in downtown Eaton,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “Better and safer connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists provides an option to use other modes of transportation outside of driving, and CDOT is passionate about these important improvements on our state’s main streets.”
“Eaton is thrilled to be awarded the Revitalizing Main Streets Grant,” said Town of Eaton Mayor Pro-Tem Lanie Isbell. “We have been planning our revitalization of our main street area and this grant will go a long way to get us started! Thank you!”
The Revitalizing Main Streets grants help localities improve their roadways and community infrastructure, supporting strong economic activity and public safety. The program began last summer in an effort to mitigate the negative economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis. Awarded projects span the entire state, from Denver and Boulder to Hugo and Limon to Frisco and Rifle. A full list of recipients is available here. Highlights include numerous projects facilitating safe pedestrian access to outdoor dining, improved lighting, sidewalk repair, incorporating “parklets” into streetscapes, and much more.
The continuation and expansion of this program was made possible through a $30 million allocation from the state legislature in March 2021 and those funds are currently available for local government competition, with significant anticipated demand. Importantly, the passage of SB-260 further extends this highly successful program beyond the current grant cycle.
Communities can apply for small grants up to $150,000 for multimodal and economic resiliency projects available on a rolling basis; large grant applications of up to $2 million closed on May 14. For more information, visit the Revitalizing Main Streets page.