August 24, 2007
By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer

Downtown businesses are preparing for the final phase of Urban Renewal work.

The area of Oak that is slated for street and sidewalk improvements runs from Third to Fifth Street. Also on the list is the stretch of Fourth Street between Oak and State Street, where utilities will be undergrounded.

“We want to give business owners who are going to be affected by this project some sense of ownership,” said Francis.

“We also need to find out at this meeting if there are any problems that we haven’t foreseen.”

He said construction is scheduled to begin in February and end by mid-May, the off season for most stores.

According to Francis, an incentive and/or penalty clause could be inserted into the work contract. He said the possibility of a bonus -- or sanction -- is likely to encourage the completion of  the $1.2 million renovation by Canadian Memorial Day, the third weekend in May. 

“I think everyone understands that there is going to be some disruption downtown. But, we’ll try to minimize it however we can,” said Francis.

He said some business owners are spooked by the major traffic snarls that were created with the 2005 construction of the 301 Oak Street complex. Francis said the situation will not be the same since the mixed-use center was a private development while Urban Renewal projects are overseen by the city.

He said the DBA has urged the city to create more of a “construction-friendly” zone this time around with added signage. The idea is to offset the orange detour signs with blue signs that encourage people to shop downtown and point toward accessible areas.

Since the late 1990s, the city has been steadily renovating Oak and other streets within the Urban Renewal District. Property owners agreed in a special levy to pay an additional yearly tax of 62 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation for the improvements, a total amount of about $750,000 per year.

Francis said the extra funding has been used to replace metal water lines that could leach lead with heavy-duty plastic pipe. In addition, the possibility of sewage backflow has been lessened with the installation of new mains.

On the surface, ornamental trees have been planted and new benches placed along Oak to provide shade and places for people to take a break.

“I am hoping that the business owners who have to put up with construction this winter and spring will realize that, when the construction is done, the aesthetics are going to be so much nicer and the infrastructure much safer,” said Francis.