Rathdrum plans to request a second grant from the Idaho Department of Commerce to expand its downtown revitalization project. 

The first $500,000 grant started the first part of the project in October, while the second would bring in $650,000. If Rathdrum’s grant request is approved, it would continue the work already underway to renew Main Street and extend the improvements as far as Gray Street, near the Parks and Rec building and Mountain View Alternative High School. 

The original project was driven by public safety concerns about Main Street's walkability. Tree roots along the sidewalk had grown just under the ground and caused the sidewalk to stretch and warp, creating a hazard for anyone walking by.

“We had people tripping on them, falling, cutting themselves,” Rathdrum City Administrator Leon Duce said. “We had one person that landed on her head and was bleeding pretty bad out of it. So it was basically a big safety concern.”

Some of the fixed sidewalks include a stenciled "brick" section between the curb and the main paved walking part of the sidewalk.

Adding a bit of charm to downtown and sprucing it up are the refurbished streetlights near and around City Hall. The streetlights were removed, repainted, rewired, affixed with a new luminaire and reinstalled. Rathdrum has also placed hanging flower planters from the new-look streetlights. Some of these have built-in irrigation to water the plants.

“We want to have little placards on those flowerpots that have a QR code so that you can snap a picture and see stuff about the history of Rathdrum,” Duce said. “Like the old jail and the old church and some of the other things that have happened.”

The city is also looking at continuing work near Second and Gray Street. It increased parking by building a lot off Second and Gray, enough for 42 cars. For now, only the handicapped spots have asphalt, and the rest is gravel.

“The reason why it's not asphalted is that it used to be a dump site, so it's got a lot of material underneath,” Duce said. “We're going to let the public come in, park on it, to help kind of drive down and compact that. After the public's kind of compacted it a bit, then hopefully we can come in and we can put the asphalt on there, and complete it out. But that's going to be part of the second grant project.”

A second grant to extend the revitalization of downtown Rathdrum would help continue the work already being done to enhance the area and make it safer.

“I think it's a really positive thing for our community to see some improvements in our downtown,” Duce said. “We want to encourage more traffic and more participation in the downtown area, and this would provide opportunities to beautify it and make it an enjoyable place to come down.”