Council reviews Main Street paving quote and discusses converting a stretch to one-way to add parking

Council discussed a budgetary quote from Johnson Paving to repave and restripe Main Street from state highway 68 to Vine Street, including making striping changes to accommodate angle parking on one side and parallel parking on the other.

Staff explained angle parking requires approximately 18 feet for the angled spaces plus 12 feet for the travel lane; the road is roughly five feet short for angle parking on both sides, so staff recommended converting the stretch to one-way traffic. Council members agreed an ordinance will be required to change the traffic direction and that bidding and advertising timelines will apply (local advertisement runs twice in the paper and a 15–30 day timeline for bids was discussed).

Residents present asked where the one-way would begin and end; council clarified it would begin at Douglas Street (corner of the brewery) and extend to Vine Street, and described alternate routing options for affected residents. Some residents raised safety concerns about exit routes that cross an aging bridge and asked the council to consider signage and repair priorities as part of the implementation plan.

Why it matters: Converting a block of Main Street to one-way would reconfigure parking and traffic flow in the downtown core. The decision affects resident access, parking availability for local businesses and maintenance priorities for alternate routes.

Next steps: Staff will prepare an ordinance to change traffic direction and obtain detailed cost estimates; council indicated the item will appear on a future agenda for formal action once bids and the ordinance language are ready.