City Hall remodel, downtown landscaping set for early 2026
Civitan Park shade canopy
The Civitan Park fabric canopy replacement is expected to be installed sometime in the next couple weeks, Director of Engineering Micah Siemers said this week.
The Civitan Park shade structure, originally constructed with a fabric top, was donated by the Civitan nonprofit group and is owned and maintained by the City. The fabric shade canopy has been damaged and replaced twice since 2019 — once due to ice accumulation damage, and then, more recently, due to wind damage.
The City is also currently contracted with BKL Inc. for a structural evaluation and design recommendation to determine if the Civitan Park shade canopy structure could be retrofitted with a solid roof rather than the fabric. If feasible, this could be planned in a future fiscal year capital budget or capital election.
Madison Boulevard reconstruction
Contract crews are currently working on the Madison Boulevard rehabilitation from Tuxedo Boulevard north to the water tower.
“That was a very narrow stretch of road,” Siemers said. “It will still be two lanes, but it will be a wide two lanes with turn lanes at Ohio and Madison, and sidewalks along both sides of the road.”
The base layers of asphalt were installed last week, with the top lift anticipated this week and then sidewalk installation will begin soon. Finish grading and sod will be the final steps of the project, which is expected to wrap up in early 2026.
The reconstruction project was approved by voters in the 2020 General Obligation Bond election, and $1.08 million was awarded to KSL Dirtworks in March. It is a collaborative project between the Delaware Tribe and the City, with half of the funding from the Tribe and half from City bond and sales tax funds.
City street crews completed resurfacing of the northern portion of Madison from the water tower to Minnesota in late June.
Asphalt street project
An asphalt mill and overlay project is anticipated to begin in early to mid-November for multiple streets. The contractor is expected to begin work on Southport Drive and then proceed to the other streets in the project, including:
- Highland Drive from Sunset to Brentwood
- Dewey Avenue from Adams to 16th Street
- Quail Ridge from Adams to Baylor Drive
- Cambridge Court from Rice Creek Road to Williamsburg Street
- Braddock Road from Claremont Drive to Camelot Drive
- Southport Drive from Quarry Park Drive to Clipper Court
- Clipper Court from Southport Drive to the cul-de-sac
The $1.4 million project was awarded to Brent Bell Construction in August. Funding for these projects was approved by voters in the 2020 G.O. Bond Election.
Concrete street project
Contract crews are also currently working on a concrete street rehabilitation project which involves several streets. Crews are wrapping up work on Highland Drive from Sunset Boulevard to Aledo Drive and then will next move on to Wilshire and Waverly from Frank Phillips to State Street, as well as Oakdale Drive from Brookside Parkway to Woodland Road.
The project was approved by voters in the 2020 G.O. Bond Election and consists of replacing concrete panels and minor curb and gutter work.
City Hall remodel
A renovation project will soon kick off at City Hall with various improvements slated for all five floors of the building, including security upgrades, restroom remodels, window replacement, carpet replacement and rehabilitation of columns on the rear exterior staircase.
The upgrades will not impact the public as much as staff, but the public may notice ongoing work and restroom closures. A schedule for the project has not yet been confirmed, but work is expected to begin no later than early 2026.
Funds for the window replacement and carpet replacement portions of the project were approved by voters in the 2020 G.O. Bond Election and ½ Cent Sales Tax Extension. Other upgrades were approved in the FY 23-24 capital budget.
Downtown landscaping
The third phase of Downtown Landscape Improvements is expected to begin in early 2026. The project consists of replacing existing landscape beds with tree planters in some locations and replacing other planters with concrete inlays.
A two-foot-wide brick border will be constructed along the back of the curbs throughout the project area. Existing trees will be removed throughout the project limits and replacement trees will be planted in locations that receive the new tree planters with grates. The scope includes repairing and replacing irrigation, capping existing electric and repairing the landscape bed drainage system as needed.
The project covers improvements at the following locations:
- Keeler Avenue – Frank Phillip to Second Street
- Johnstone Avenue – Fifth Street to Second Street
- Fourth Street – Johnstone Ave to Osage Avenue
- Dewey Avenue – Second Street to Hensley Boulevard
- Dewey Avenue – Fifth Street to Fourth Street
- Osage Avenue – Fourth Street to Second Street
Funds for the project were originally approved in the 2020 Half-Cent Sales Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Tax election in the amount of $800,000. An additional $300,000 was approved in the Capital Reserve Fund as part of the FY 2023-24 capital budget to supplement the project.