The city of Beloit has secured a $766,000 grant from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program to complete its downtown riverwalk project, as reported by both the Beloit Daily News and WCLO. This funding was the fourth largest award among 12 communities receiving a total of $7.7 million in Stewardship grants announced in a press release from Governor Evers and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in October 2024.
“The city has set aside $500,000 for the riverwalk extension, but the cost estimates came in much higher,” Beloit Director of Strategic Communications Sarah Locke told the Beloit Daily News, explaining why city officials sought additional grant funding through the Knowles-Nelson program this spring.
According to WCLO, the riverwalk section will be built after demolition of the building at 80-100 E. Grand Avenue is completed. This historic structure dates back to 1892 and must be removed due to concerns about its potential collapse into the Rock River. Demolition began in June 2024 and should be finished by summer 2025.
This grant is part of the first round of Knowles-Nelson projects approved without Joint Finance Committee (JFC) oversight following a major Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling in July 2024. In Evers v. Marklein, the court ruled 6-1 that the Republican-controlled committee’s practice of blocking conservation projects was unconstitutional, Madison-based CapTimes reported. For years, the JFC could halt any Stewardship grant through anonymous objections, effectively giving individual committee members unchecked veto power over conservation projects.
Once completed, the riverwalk will create a pedestrian link from ABC Supply Stadium to the Ken Hendricks Bridge through Riverside Park.
Featured image by Mark’s Postcards from Beloit, 2018
