(MT. VERNON, IL ) — The City of Mt. Vernon is keeping busy with development, having received nearly $7 million in grant money this year for projects around the city. WSIL TV says that in 2014, the city has been approved for nearly a dozen different grant projects, totaling $6.8 million. Mayor Mary Jane Chesley says the city has become more aggressive with its grant writing since they developed their comprehensive plans in 2008. The city will use more than one million dollars in state money to turn the old armory building into a convention center. Millions of additional grant dollars will be used to build a new park on the city’s west side. Chesley says construction for the industrial park could begin in the late spring or early summer. Other grants include $400,000 to improve Lincoln Park, and another $100,000 to be used to market the city’s tourism attractions. The $6.8 million is the most the city has ever received in a given year. Many of the grant monies have already been put to use. City leaders say they will look to receive additional grants in the future.