Week In Review: Grant Will Fund Sidewalks, Group Home Now Allowed and More

Too busy last week to stay up to date on all the news happening in St. Charles? Not to worry. Patch has your back.

In case you missed them, here were some of the top headlines from the St. Charles Patch from the last few days.

• About 1/2 a mile of sidewalks will be added to streets near Blackhurst Elementary and Hardin Middle School in St. Charles in 2014, the city announced Tuesday. St. Charles won a $250,000 federal Safe Routes to School grant, which will be used to improve sidewalks near the schools. This project is one of only three in the St. Louis area to receive funding from Safe Routes to School, city staff said. 

Group Homes Now Permitted in St. Charles

• Barb Griffith wants St. Charles residents to know people with disabilities are no different from anyone else—they just want to enjoy their homes and socialize with friends. "We want to be good neighbors and we want to promote people that live in their community," said Griffith, CEO of St. Peters-based Community Living. 

Construction on South Fifth Street to Start in April

• Construction on road improvements for South Fifth Street between Interstate 70 and South Main Street is set to begin in April and may mean some lane closures over the next several months. The St. Charles City Council on Tuesday approved a contract for $2.65 million with Vee-Jay Cement Contracting to widen the lanes and replace concrete on South Fifth Street between Interstate 70 and South Main Street. Total cost for the improvements is $3 million. 

• A Lindenwood University diving coach was stopped for driving the wrong way on Interstate 70 and brought into custody before he spit at and attempted to assault officers, St. Peters Police said. Patch reported earlier that Kyle Friesenhahn, 25, of the 1000 block of Pine Street in St. Charles, was charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer.

• The new Orchard Farm Superintendent Thomas Muzzey will receive a three-year contract with a starting salary of $170,000. The Board of Education unanimously agreed to hire Muzzey last week after interviewing three finalists, including an internal candidate. Muzzey is currently serving as Superintendent of Warrenton School District.