EAGLE GROVE — Eagle Grove City Council on Monday was presented with the first preview of its downtown streetscape project that could bolster water quality improvement initiatives with features to beautify three blocks of downtown.

The majority of the project, estimated to cost between $1.5 and $1.75 million, would be paid for, in part by grants such as the $1.6 million one Eagle Grove received from Iowa’s State Revolving Fund.

The grant is available for the city to expand the water reclamation facility, improve water quality initiatives and drainage.

Certain features fundable under the grant’s program would include items like tree trenches and bio retention areas that allow for a functional approach to water quality investments, as well as pleasing aesthetics from a downtown perspective, according to City Administrator Bryce Davis.

It won’t cover certain items that could be part of the project, such as colored concrete, new outdoor furnishings, trash receptacles and lights downtown. Davis said the city will need to evaluate its appetite for those changes accordingly as the project moves forward this summer and fall.

“We need to have a project read to go within a certain period of time,” he said, for approval by state agencies. “There needs to be local buy-in.”

Eagle Grove would be required to commit to a maintenance program for 10 years. He said the city is in the process of defining what it will look like to have the project approved at the state level, which will allow the city to move forward with construction documents and break ground in 2020.

“We don’t want to raise taxes,” for the project, he said. Tax increment financing would most likely be one part of a financing mix to pay down the city’s contribution, alongside private sector contributions for items like sidewalk benches and trash cans.

While a primary goal of the project is to capture and filter water to extract phosphorous and nitrates before it hits the sewers, the project has an eye on a more long-term goal: keeping revenue flowing through downtown businesses.

“Downtown offers an opportunity to be unique,” said Davis. “That vitality is really what sets towns apart from each other. If you don’t have that vibrancy, you turn into a bedroom community.”

When that happens, disposable income goes elsewhere. So using the state’s high priorities for water quality, the city can take advantage of an opportunity to improve the central business district.

The next step will be a downtown survey to best determine the finer points of the city’s needs and develop the size and scope of practices, which Davis anticipates will be finished in a few weeks. During this stage, the city will look into priorities, like making sure large vehicle traffic has a large enough turning radius to avoid hitting the curbs.

Roadway configuration is never an easy topic, he said.

The next public hearing on the matter should be held at August 19th’s City Council meeting, a date to be confirmed in early August. There, findings of the survey will be presented before scheduling more community events for discussion. Another public hearing is scheduled for September 2, with a final session on September 16.

“You don’t put money into downtown every day, so you do it when you see a need,” Davis said. “It comes down to what your town can offer,” to residents and tourists.

The old water plant downtown also received a grant for $22,500 to help renovate the exterior in keeping with downtown beautification. The building contains wells and other electronics that need to remain in place for the infrastructure there.

The grant from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Derelict Grant Program will cover about 40-50% of the cost, Davis estimated.