high school and middle school is well renowned and has received several awards.” The other half of the city falls under the Ferguson-Florissant School District, which has gained attention for its innovative educational programming. “They have a well-renowned STEAM program,” he conveys. “The middle school and high school are actually both in the top 10 highest rated schools in the state of Missouri.” Ferguson-Florissant’s International Baccalaureate program has also been gaining momentum, with a high number of students getting full college scholarships through their participation. At the post-secondary level, the city is proud to be home to the Florissant Valley campus of St. Louis Community College, which is making major strides in career training. “They recently built two new buildings specifically geared towards workforce development and finding the next generation of workers for our community,” reports Mulcahy. “One of the programs was the Advanced Manufacturing Center at Florissant Valley. Boeing has a program to get students from there and eventually hire them. It is a great new investment.” With proximity to three hospitals, Christian Hospital Northwest, SSM DePaul and Christian Hospital Northeast, the college has also constructed a new facility focused on healthcare called the Nursing and Health Sciences Center. The city is also home to the largest Catholic graduate school of theology in the United States at the Augustine Institute. INFRASTRUCTURE AND HOUSING FOR A NEW GENERATION Recent infrastructure investments in Florissant include the $300 million state led rebuild of I-270. Along with state level improvements, the city invests several million dollars annually to maintain its local roads, working in partnership with St. Louis County. When it comes to utilities, Florissant coordinates with external providers. “We don’t have our own sewer or water department, those are separate entities called MSD and Missouri American Water,” Mulcahy says. 8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07
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