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Council told downtown streetscape construction drawings complete; bids expected this week
Summary
City staff said construction plans for Phase 1 of the Downtown Streetscape (300–600 blocks of North Main Street) are complete and staff intends to solicit bids; the project includes drainage, fiber, lead service replacement and widened sidewalks to support outdoor dining and activity centers.
City planners told the council Monday that construction drawings for Phase 1 of the Downtown Streetscape project are complete and that staff intends to send the plans out for bid within days.
Senior Deputy City Manager Billy Tice said Phase 1 covers the 300 through 600 blocks of North Main Street and includes new lighting, landscaping, a revised parking layout, wider sidewalks and infrastructure work intended to reduce flood impacts and modernize utilities. “This is an infrastructure project,” Tice said, noting that the city estimates roughly 40 cents of every project dollar is devoted to subsurface infrastructure rather than cosmetic work.
Planned infrastructure work and benefits
- Drainage: Tice said the plans include an underground drainage system in the planned activity area near the Brass Pig that will hold stormwater longer to reduce peak flows that contribute to localized flooding downstream.
- Water mains and lead service lines: The project will replace lead service lines where required and install a larger, looped water main to improve fire service and future connections, Tice said.
- Fiber and conduit: The plan includes fiber conduit to support municipal needs and to enable private providers to extend fiber service to downtown businesses.
Schedule and staging
Tice said the city’s consultant completed construction drawings last week and staff hopes to award a contract in May, subject to council approval of bids. He said initial construction would begin at the north end — near the Brass Pig plaza — with work staged to preserve pedestrian access and accommodate deliveries. Tice said staff is developing alternative parking plans for affected businesses and that the consultant had met with most downtown business owners to mitigate disruption.
Council questions and financing
Council members asked about funding and the project’s broader benefits. Tice said the city has applied for state and federal grants and that the approved plan has already received statewide recognition; he said a design the council approved roughly a year earlier had won a Judge’s Choice award and a Special Achievement award.
Tice emphasized the project team’s attention to drainage and combined‑sewer concerns, saying the work would reduce reliance on combined sewers in the downtown core. He said construction would include coordinating delivery and pedestrian access plans and that staff is negotiating temporary parking alternatives for customers during construction.
Ending
Staff said the city will post regular updates for downtown business owners and on the city’s downtown website and that more announcements about bid timing and staging would follow once bids are received and a contract is awarded.
