RANTOUL, Ill. (WCIA) — Rantoul village administrators are celebrating a new grant that will help revitalize their downtown area.

The village was one of 25 communities across the U.S. To get the T-Mobile Hometown Grant Award. $50,000 will go toward their street-scaping project like fixing sidewalks and roads in a four-block radius. They will also use the money to add art like sculptures, statues and murals.

Rantoul Planning Manager Chris Milliken said the extra funds also help them leverage other grants they have to improve more streets in the area and make it a place everyone can enjoy.

“Downtown remains the heart of this community,” Milliken said. “So, the more we’re able to invest in the downtown area to help facilitate further investment downtown, make it a destination and attract other people to the community and allow our residents a better area to utilize the downtown area — that’s important to the administration, to what we’re trying to accomplish at the village.”

Milliken said the art pieces will be seen immediately but the street improvements will take about 18 months to finish. They plan to start construction in 2024 and finish in 2025.