3 government entities tackle Maryville’s Village O

Village O subdivision on Maryville’s north side has been an island of “no-man’s land” since its creation many decades ago.

While the City of Maryville’s city limits surrounds the homes on the Village O Streets, the government entity that truly has jurisdiction has always been Nodaway County’s Polk Township, which is not equipped to maintain city streets.

So when it has come to street maintenance issues, including seasonal snow-plowing, the homeowners and renters have had to fend for themselves.

Discussions have been held for decades about correcting the situation; however, due to strained finances no action was ever taken.

Now with the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) infusion of dollars within the City of Maryville and Nodaway County’s coffers, the badly needed street improvement beginnings have started. Both the Maryville and county leaders have allocated $31,000 each toward the preliminary study of the project. Maryville’s city staff will go out for bid for a company to prepare the documents for the project.

Once the documents are created, the plan is to apply for a Community Block Development Grant (CBDG) under the name of Polk Township with the aid of the Northwest Regional Council of Governments staff. That grant, if funded, could not exceed $500,000. If approved, any match is hoped to be done with in-kind services from Polk Township’s road crew with possible demolition and other earthwork required.

A public meeting of homeowners will be planned at a future time with the financial considerations explained.