Marilyn Lakaner, co-owner of The Main Deck, expressed concerns to council members Feb. 2 regarding the future of downtown Steelville and urged them to invest in its revitalization.

“We have thousands of tourists that drive through our little city on any given weekend throughout the summer,” Lakaner said. “What do they see as they drive through? Do they see a clean and thriving downtown with stores open for business? Do they see something interesting that makes them want to stop and shop and eat and play? Or do they see empty buildings, some which have been empty for decades, overgrown weeds, uneven sidewalks, bent, handicapped bars, rotting gazebos and weedy creeks?” 

Lakaner said she’s noticed little growth in Steelville over the past decade and has watched multiple businesses come and go. She referenced Lange General Store’s recent closure to foot traffic, saying the loss of visitors it used to draw leaves her fearful for the future of downtown.

“The businesses we have now are doing everything they can to hold on,” Lakaner said. “They work hard, very hard. They’re involved in Steelville Tourism, some with the Chamber. Some are involved in both. Some of them won’t be here next year.”

Lakaner also called for the cleanup of the Yadkin Creek, requesting that the council fund beautification efforts. 

“The creek is the jewel of our town,” Lakaner said. “It’s why we exist. It’s been neglected for so many years. It just looks awful. The weeds have overtaken the banks. The banks are not mowable, plantable or maintainable.”

Alderman Ward 1 Bill Bennett agreed that the creek needs to be cleaned up, noting that his business, Britton-Bennett Funeral Home, is located along it. He said people need to understand that Steelville is a tourism drive through town.

“There’s a lot of eyesores up and down Main Street and every other street,” Bennett said. “I’m one of the (business) owners that actually lives in town – there’s very few that own a business on Main Street or up and down, minus the corporates that we have, that live inside city limits. So I see this, I walk this town, I drive this town. I know, I feel your pain.”

“Our problem is that we don’t have a center of town,” resident Lanin Thómasma chimed in. “We have two highways that run through the middle of town. So that puts us at a huge disadvantage, because we can’t stop people. We can’t give them a place to gather.”

“I want this community to thrive,” new resident Maureen Kush added. “Because before we moved here, I absolutely fell in love with the town anyway, so I was like, ‘wow, this is like home away from home.’ I want this town to thrive, but it doesn’t seem like it’s thriving.”

Lakaner pointed toward St. James and Bourbon as examples of growth, urging the council to appoint a revitalization committee and apply for grants to fund downtown improvements.

“We’re not here to point fingers,” Lakaner said. “We’re not here to create division. We’re here out of concern for our community. We cannot sit back and watch something with so much history and promise go to waste.”

Alderman Ward 2 Jason Ward referenced the town’s recently completed Active Transportation Plan from the Meramec Regional Planning Commission in response to residents’ concerns.

“I don’t want to really put a number on it, but I think before too long, we’re going to start seeing those positive impacts,” Ward said. “We’re going through growing pains right now.”