Galesburg City Council is expected to take up a tabled item to study schematics and program designs in developing Churchill Junior High into a community center. The contract for Farnsworth Group was originally brought to the Council in March but was tabled until after a new council was to be seated. This will be the first meeting with three new Council members, all three of whom ran on Churchill not being an appropriate site for a community center. The contract would be for $76,000. If Council does approve the study the initial phase would take 8 weeks to complete, which would be followed by an additional agreement the Council would have to sign off on. The work could go out to bid as early as August and construction could begin in September. New Council considers Rescue Mission as permanent warming shelter Council will also reconsider purchasing the two Galesburg Rescue Mission buildings at E. Third St. to turn them into a permanent warming shelter, and possibly affordable housing. Th
The Knox County Board signed off on the disbursement of six grants Wednesday night to various organizations in Galesburg for the use of American Rescue Plan Act funds. $570,000 in federal money was awarded to organizations such as the Galesburg Civic Art Center for the purpose of starting up a local arts-related periodical or for the Volunteer Network on Aging for the organization's home-delivered meals program. Up to $250,000 was awarded to the National Railroad Hall of Fame for the construction of a new facility and, according to Finance Committee Vice-Chair David Amor, that money is contingent on a few things. "We intend this to be the 'last dollar in,' so we would not be putting money into a project that might not make it," Amor said Wednesday night. "That once they get to the $250,000 then we would be put in the last $250,000 and it needs to be before July 1, 2024, because we have to have all of the funds designated and committed by the end of 2024.&q
The Knox County Board Wednesday night will consider approving several more grant requests for federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act. Board documents show that the recipients being considered include the Galesburg Christian School for health-related improvements to the facility and to the National Railroad Hall of Fame for the construction of a new tourist facility. Money could also go to the Stearman Foundation to recoup lost revenue and to help cover the addition to their facility, the Galesburg Civic Art Center for start-up local arts-related periodical, or the Galesburg Tourism and Visitors Bureau for a mural project, on the condition that murals funded be located outside of the City of Galesburg. In total, county board members will consider disbursing $545,000 from the Community Grant Program and an additional $25,000 from the Health and Human Services Grant Program for the Volunteer Network on Aging (VNA) for home-delivered meals. Board members could approve using ARPA m