The City Council on Monday voted to approve an agreement for Phase 3 of the Downtown Landscape Project. BKL Inc. will complete the project for $96,000 in voter-approved funding. This phase of the project is an extension of the overall project approved by voters in the 2020 Half-cent Sales Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Tax election.
The project consists of:
- Replacing existing landscape beds with tree planters in some locations and replacing other planters with concrete inlays.
- Constructing two-foot-wide brick border along the back of the curbs throughout the project area.
- Removal and replacement of existing trees throughout the project limits with new tree planters with grates.
- Replacing irrigation, capping existing electric and repairing the landscape bed drainage system as needed.
“This project includes all remaining areas identified in the Howell & Vancuren Downtown Landscaping Plan that have existing City-owned landscaping, irrigation, drainage, and power infrastructure,” said Director of Engineering Micah Siemers. “The plan was completed in 2016 and was used as the basis for the final designs approved for Phase 1 by the Downtown Landscape Task Force created in 2017.”
The affected areas include:
Keeler Avenue – Frank Phillip to Second Street
Johnstone Avenue – Fifth Street to Second Street
Fourth Street – Johnstone Ave to Dewey Avenue
Dewey Avenue – Second Street to Hensley Boulevard.
Dewey Avenue – Fifth Street to Fourth Street
“The original budget approved in the CIP election was $800,000,” he said. “Based on the current economic climate and inflation of construction costs, there was concern leading up to the Fiscal Year 2023-24 fiscal year that funding would not be adequate to complete all remaining areas identified in the H&V plan. An additional $300,000 was approved in the Capital Reserve Fund as part of the FY 2023-24 capital budget to supplement the project.
Siemers said BKL’s proposal of $96,000 is 8.7 percent of the $1,100,000 total project budget, which “is in line with engineering design fees seen on other projects.”