Due to the Martin Luther King Day holiday, the Joplin City Council will meet tonight. Among many items on the agenda include approving an application to apply for a multi-million dollar federal grant. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.

Tonight at the city council meeting, Joplin city staff will provide a presentation as to why council members should vote in favor of approving an application to the Economic Development Administration for a 2 million dollar grant. If approved by the city council, and then approved by the EDA, the funds would come from the American Rescue Plan Act that was passed last year by Congress to help communities recover from the pandemic.

The 2-million-dollar grant would go towards the Bakers Branch East Sewer Extension Project in the eastern part of Joplin that would serve 978 acres that currently doesn’t have available sanitary sewer service. The project is estimated to cost 3.1 million dollars, and Joplin would be responsible for the remaining balance. The State of Missouri has yet to release the details for the application process, so city staff is working closely with State legislators to prepare. The Joplin city council meeting starts tonight at 5:45. For 89 9 KRPS, I’m Fred Fletcher-Fierro