At Tuesday night's board of aldermen meeting, Jason Schantz of Boonslick Regional Planning Commission announced the city will receive $65,000 in funding through a Missouri Department of Transportation Enhancement grant provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The money will be used to fix sidewalks along Highway D. "It's a nice surprise," Mayor Dale Verges said. The city had asked for approximately $75,000 for the entire project, but Schantz told the board competition was fierce for the available money. He said Marthasville was one of only two cities in the BRPC coverage area (Warren, Lincoln and Montgomery counties) to receive the transportation enhancement grant. Government entities in all 13 counties in MoDOT's Northeast Region were eligible to apply for the stimulus funds. "There was probably three times the amount of funding requests that was available," Schantz said. "(MoDOT) picked a couple of projects and Marthasville was at the top of the heap." The project will include new sidewalks on the north side of Highway D beginning at 4th Street and running downhill. The original project, 800 feet in length, also included fixing the sidewalk on the west side of Highway D - or One Street - but Verges said because the city received $10,000 less than the original estimate it might result in the construction stopping at the bottom of what is commonly referred to as Town Hill. Preliminary engineering work for the application was completed by Warrenton-based Lewis-Bade Inc., meaning the project is "shovel-ready," according to Schantz. MoDOT currently is advertising for an engineering firm for design work on its Web site. The bids are scheduled to be opened June 30. Schantz said he would be attending a meeting for the city on Wednesday for grant recipients in Jefferson City to learn more about the stimulus funding guidelines. "We would love to have money for projects we're in dire need of completing - stormwater issues, streets and things like that," Verges said. "But free money is good and you can't pass it up. It will help." The current sidewalk is cracked, uneven and narrow in many areas. Verges said the project should be a benefit to residents. "There is still a lot of foot traffic in town, especially with the church right there," he said. "People can get from the uptown area to the downtown area. The sidewalk has been in bad shape for many, many years." Also at Tuesday's meeting, Schantz told the board he is applying for additional stimulus money to replace three bridges within the city limits. The application deadline is June 15. City officials hope to upgrade bridges located on Two Street, Three Street and Four Street. Schantz estimated it would cost approximately $680,000 to fix all three. A full application would need to be forwarded at a later date if the city is approved during the initial filing process. Should the city receive funding for the bridge project, the exact amount won't be known until final approval is granted.