EDA Announces Placemaking Grants for Eight St. Clair County Communities

September 19, 2025

One of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County’s strategic focuses this year is placemaking, particularly in rural communities.

In support of that goal, EDA requested and received $28,000 of Regional Prosperity Funds from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, which it supplemented with $5,000 of its own money, for a total pool of $33,000. Recently, the communities that will receive those funds were announced.

The purpose of placemaking is to improve the attractiveness of a community, particularly its downtown area. Warm and vibrant communities present a welcoming face for its residents and visitors. It can lead to future visits and even private sector investment.

Here are the recipients of the funds and how they will be used:

• Clay Township, $3,000 – Benches for pickleball courts
• Fort Gratiot Twp, $3,000 – Two benches for new pickleball court
• Ira Township, $3,000 – Pathway to new kayak launch
• Marine City, $3,000 – Plantings, including shrubbery, at Guy Center Park
• Port Huron, $12,000 – Mural, 7^th Street Bridge
• Port Huron Township, $3,000 – Benches for Baker’s Field
• Village of Capac, $3,000 – Historical mural (downtown) and park benches
• Yale, $3,000 – New park benches, public art for pocket park

“Every community wants to be welcoming but doesn’t always have that little bit of extra money to conduct placemaking projects,” said Dan Casey, CEO of EDA. He noted that Marysville and St. Clair are receiving grant funds from EDA for other purposes this year.

Regional Prosperity Funds are received by EDA nearly every year. The projects typically support an MEDC strategic initiative.

“It just so happened that everything aligned for placemaking this year,” Casey added. “We are happy that we could support our communities with this funding.”