The Festus South Second Street parking lot renovation project is nearly finished, City Administrator Greg Camp said recently.
That project, considered the first step in the city’s long-term downtown improvement plans, could be completed soon if Old Man Winter would only cooperate, Camp added.
Jokerst Paving & Contracting was hired to complete the improvements for $1,070,07460, he said.
“It is all coming in on budget,” he said Jan. 23. “We had some additions, but we had some deletions. So, at the end of the day, it’s pretty much on target.”
The city is paying for the project with part of its share of the countywide 1/2-cent sales tax for road and bridge improvements.
The part of the project that has been completed includes replacing and overlaying pavement; removing and installing new sidewalk; updating pavement marking and completing other improvements to make it safer for pedestrians to get from the lot to Main Street businesses and events. The project also calls for the installation of new lighting, which has not begun yet, Camp said.
A significant part of making it safer to walk between the parking lot and Main Street was shutting off vehicle traffic on the section of Behring Street connecting the lot to Main Street, he said.
Camp said the work that’s already finished has significantly improved the parking situation for downtown businesses. The lot now offers 266 spaces, an increase of 18 over what existed prior to renovations. Of the 266 spaces, 10 are designated for those with handicaps, and four are set aside for veterans.
“I think it looks great,” Camp said. “There are designated spaces for trash dumpsters. Once the lighting is installed, it will be very pedestrian friendly. Obviously, it improved access to Main Street for pedestrians, with making Behring closed to vehicle traffic (by putting up posts).
“There’s stamped (decorative) concrete there and an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) path, so it’s ADA compliant.”
When the new lighting is installed that also should benefit those who come to downtown Festus to shop or for evening events, Camp said.
“We hope the lighting will be done any day, but weather is going to play a factor in that. The lighting will be a substantial upgrade from what was there previously,” he said. “If you notice the islands that are in the middle of the lot, there will be lighting there. And, then, the lighting along South Second Street is being upgraded and replaced.”
The new lighting should brighten a far larger area of the lot, he said.
“The (old) lighting has just run along the sidewalk on South Second Street,” he said. “And there had been some large cobra heads (lights on poles) behind the buildings. So, this will have lighting running through the entire middle of the parking lot and then out on the street, as well.”
The South Second Street parking lot project stretches from Mill Street to Adams Street and is one of the recommendations from the “M2M: Main to Mississippi Plan.” The plan was developed after the completion of a 2022 study, commissioned by Festus and Crystal City officials, to find ways to improve the area along Main Street in Festus and Bailey Road and Mississippi Avenue in Crystal City, as well as surrounding areas.
The lot project was a necessary first step before any other projects could take place in downtown Festus, Camp said.
“As we have talked about in the past, the big piece of the Main 2 Mississippi plan was the reconstruction of Main Street (in Festus) and to do that, we needed to ensure there was adequate parking, because certainly the Main Street project is going to disrupt parking on Main Street,” he said. “We want to minimize the impact on businesses down there.”
Next M2M project depends on federal grant
Camp said Festus hopes to now turn its attention to Main Steet but is seeking federal funding in order to proceed with any plans.
“We just submitted this week our grant proposal, our grant application, to East-West Gateway for the reconstruction of Main Street,” he said. “It is an 80-20 grant. That’s the STP – surface transportation program. Most of our grants around here are STP grants.
“That will be for sidewalks, curb and gutter, street resurfacing, lighting, that is all part of that project. (An estimated) $1.5 million project.”
The East-West Council of Governments administers those grants in the St. Louis metro area.
Camp said Festus applied for an STP grant last year, but didn’t receive it, adding that he believes the city has a better chance to get one this time around.
“The deadline to apply is in February. So, those grants are usually announced by June,” he said. “They allowed us to debrief and review our application from last year, and I think we found some things we were able to do better.”
Camp said a Main Street renovation project, even if Festus gets a grant, likely is a couple of years away.
“Probably 2028, unless they move the project up, and that has happened,” he said. “A lot of our projects have been moved up because we typically are ready to go. We go through the process of design and make sure everything is set and ready. Like our North Mill project. That was a project slated to be done in ’27. And, we did it in ’25 and ’26. We get our projects moved up because we’re prepared, and we will be with Main Street, as well.”
Camp said Festus has pursued M2M projects on its own ever since the plan was developed, but he could see the possibility of Festus working with Crystal City on a combined effort in the future.
“There may be (a collaboration),” he said. “The way the grants work, there certainly is an opportunity to collaborate on grants. Because of that, I could see where the two communities would do something together to help bring that Main 2 Mississippi plan a little farther along.”
Camp said area business owners generally say they look forward to Main Street improvements, but realize there will be headaches during the work.
“They’re eager to see the improvements,” Camp said. “They’re eager to see the plan continue to be acted on, but are not looking forward to the disruption that it will be.
“And, we all know it will be. I think we’re just trying to do the least amount of harm, the least amount of disruption as possible.”