BY JENNIFER BAILEY
DANVILLE — Residents Reggie Romine and others already have questioned why the city is planning to use gas tax funding for streetscape improvements along Hazel Street.
But Mayor Scott Eisenhauer said the project involves roadway infrastructure changes.
City officials will open bids Monday and aldermen are expected to act on a contract Tuesday night for the first phase of the project. That phase involves narrowing Hazel Street between Main and North streets, installing paved cross walks, curb bump outs, lighting, streetscape landscaping, sidewalk removal and replacement and parking lot improvements along Hazel in the downtown area.
The pedestrian access improvements are planned for the spring.
City engineer David Schnelle said because of city-received stimulus funding, it’s freed up about $200,000 in Community Block Development Program funds and the city also has about $200,000 in additional local gas tax funds for the improvements.
According to the resolution, the infrastructure development and improvement program fund, which gas tax funds go into, has the budgeted line item “construction and improvements” to support economic development and infrastructure investment.
Additional program funding became available from the Mid-Town Tax Increment Financing District as a reimbursement to the 2009 overlay program.
Design improvements to approve the appearance of Hazel Street include: install plantings, trees, shrubs, perennials, grass and ground cover in the newly created buffer strips by decreasing the width of Hazel Street; remove existing concrete and steel light poles and replace with ornamental style light poles matching those on Main and Vermilion streets; and rework the city-owned parking lot across the street from Vermilion Place to make it meet current landscaping ordinance requirements and Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
Also planned: increase the sidewalk width around Vermilion Place and the Gold Rush Pawn Shop to provide for their activities; create pedestrian curb bump outs and cross walks at Van Buren to cross Hazel, and all four corners of North and Hazel; and install ADA curb ramps at all streets and alleys.
Public Works Director Doug Ahrens said this will help seniors walking from the Wolford to Towne Centre and provide better pedestrian accommodations overall.
The city council’s Public Works Committee also is expected to act on a South Griffin Street sewer improvement.
The city has determined the need to replace the sanitary sewer between Vine and Texas streets.
Funding will come from the sanitary sewer replacement fund. The bid opening also is Monday.
In other business, aldermen will:
-- Continue tax levy discussions.
-- Consider approving additional pavement patching on Southgate Drive and additional railroad crossing removal at Bowman Avenue and the CSX crossing by Central Illinois Tile of Champaign for an additional $40,970.
COMING UP
The city council’s Public Works Committee will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Robert E. Jones Municipal Building, 17 W. Main St.
