Trenton has been named one of 10 communities in Missouri to received DREAM Initiative status from Gov. Matt Blunt and the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
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Blunt made the announcement at noon on Wednesday during the Governor’s Conference on Economic Development at Springfield.
Designation as a DREAM community, according to Trenton Community Developer Sean Burge, means that Trenton will be part of a three-year program that combines efforts by the DED, the Missouri Housing Development Commission and the Missouri Development Financing Board to assist the community in redeveloping its downtown area. Burge said help such as technical assistance, marketing analysis and possible funding sources would be made available to Trenton and the other nine DREAM communities in an effort to stimulate private investment in the downtown areas of those towns.
Burge said that the timing of Trenton being named a DREAM community is key in that the program works hand-in-hand with what the city is doing in its recently completed downtown development planning project.
“In combination with the recent completion of the downtown plan design, this will help further our efforts in pushing this plan forward and make some of the projects included within the plan a reality,” Burge said.
Gov. Blunt is expected to be in Trenton on Thursday afternoon to meet with city officials for a formal presentation of the city’s designation.
In addition to Trenton, other towns designated as DREAM communities were Chillicothe, Maryville, Kirksville, Clinton, Aurora, Carthuersville, Mexico, Poplar Bluff and Sikeston.