ST. MARTIN PARISH — St. Martinville, Louisiana, is one of six communities in the state awarded the Thriving Communities Program grant. This initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Louisiana Main Street, aims to assist underserved communities in enhancing their infrastructure and fostering economic growth.
According to Danielle Fontenet, the Cultural Recreation and Tourism Director for St. Martinville, the primary focus for the grant is to improve the city's sidewalks, “The sidewalks are very small; only one person can maybe walk on them. The one on Highway 31, where a lot of our public buildings and accessible recreational buildings are, is not only small, but it’s right on the highway,” Fontenet said.
The grant, which totals $1.9 million, is still in its early stages, as noted by Ray Scriber, Director of Louisiana Main Street. He explained that the project is divided into four phases, with St. Martinville currently in phase one, which runs through January 2025. "There will be a series of community meetings coming forward to make sure these are projects that are important to the citizens of the community, as well as the leadership," Scriber said.
While St. Martinville will only receive 30% of the total grant amount, not all funds will be allocated for construction. Some of the funds will be directed toward educating the Main Street Development Team. This training will help the team better navigate the federal funding application process and build stronger federal relationships, ultimately positioning St. Martinville for future funding opportunities.
“One of the outcomes of this will be that they submit some type of application to the U.S. Department of Transportation, or whoever it is, to get additional funding because their capacity has been developed so that they have a better understanding of the processes at the federal level,” Scriber added.
Fontenet emphasized that the grant will bring St. Martinville one step closer to improving accessibility throughout the community, particularly for pedestrians navigating the town's streets.
While the project will take approximately three years to complete, Scriber is optimistic about its success.
