Excelsior Springs residents will have a say in the city’s pending road infrastructure projects.

Molly McGovern,

city manager, made that point during an Aug. 12 work session at the Hall of Waters as city leaders discussed plans for street and walkway improvements using $21.5 million in federal grant funding. As was reported in the Aug.

19 issue of The Standard, the city received the money through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program offered through the U.S. Department of Transportation.

With the funding secured, the city is awaiting contracts to be mailed, McGovern said. After the agreements are “executed,” then the city will enter the design and planning phases, she said.

The city will continue to solicit citizen feedback during the designing and planning, according to McGovern.

“Projects are better when you provide for public input,” she said.

Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Stephen Spear recommended soliciting citizen input through a public forum at the Excelsior Springs Community Center, as had been the case when the city was pursuing the RAISE funding.

“Now that we have funding for it, it might be a little bit more of an engaged conversation,” Spear said.

McGovern agreed. “People weren’t necessarily paying attention or (asking), ‘What does this mean?’” she said. “And so, now, this becomes real.”

As McGovern reminded city leaders, U.S. Rep.

Sam Graves helped make the renovations become “real.”

“So we’re planning some sort of ceremony to honor him and get him here for that,” she said. “We’ve just got to get that worked out.”