The infrastructure in downtown Wright City needs fixing, according to local business owners and city officials who are beginning the first steps to make that happen.

The city government last week issued a call for engineering firms “with experience in street and storm water engineering” to submit their qualifications to lead an extensive project to rehabilitate Wright City’s downtown infrastructure. The area marked for improvements is a seven-block stretch between Hedeman Street and Mueller Avenue, bounded on the north and south by Interstate 70 and the railroad tracks.

Engineering will include plans for rebuilding or repaving city streets, as well as identifying and designing improvements to stormwater drainage in the area. Deteriorated pavement and unwanted water retention have been the cause of complaints for years in the downtown area.

Mayor Michelle Heiliger said the city eventually plans to seek outside grant funding for the public improvements, but first needs to show that it’s serious about doing the work before money is made available.

“In order to qualify for any grant money, the very first thing they do is ask you for engineering,” Heiliger explained. “There’s a ton of (federal) infrastructure money getting ready to be released, so we want to be able to get in line to start doing a bunch of road repairs. ... We’re going to get the engineering done, and then when this infrastructure money opens, and we’re able to apply for grants, we’re going to be ready immediately.”

Insurance agent Kelly Hill, one of the downtown businesspeople who have been pushing for improvements, said infrastructure and beautification are vital parts of restoring life to an area that was once the economic hub of Wright City.

“The people in our community love living here, but we have trained them to go elsewhere to do their business,” Hill said. To reverse that, she said business owners and the city government need to work together to transform the area into a place where people want to spend time visiting and getting to know their local businesses.

“We want to preserve the history here, and we want to encourage people to enjoy their downtown area and support businesses locally,” Hill commented.

Hill is a member of a committee of business owners and city representatives who are working to revitalize the downtown area. She said while the city pursues its engineering plans, the committee will begin applying for other grants aimed at beautification projects. Lighting, parking, flowers, and other decorative features have been identified as desirable projects, Hill said.

Since city officials got on board with the downtown revitalization effort last year, Hill said they’ve been excellent collaborators, attending discussions, helping to plan festivals, and now taking steps to begin improvements.

“For the first time, I think we’re actually going to see real change, and not just talk about it,” Hill commented.