Latest news with #Illinois116
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Pontiac misses out on $2M state grant to revamp downtown but says the project will go on
The city's plans to give Madison Street in downtown Pontiac a makeover with road resurfacing and new sidewalks got some bad news recently that will affect how fast the project gets done. The city applied for a $2 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity but will not receive it this year. The funds were part of a $30 million award from the Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets and Research in Illinois to Spur Economic Recovery (RISE) programs. Pontiac wanted to use the money to upgrade downtown sidewalks and streets in an area west of North Chicago Street to North Oak Street. 'The basic plan was covering four blocks, altogether,' Mayor Bill Alvey said. 'The northside would be the primary focus.' More: Illinois 116 is being redone in Pontiac. Here's what you need to know According to City Administrator Jim Woolford, the money the city was requesting was going to be spent on street resurfacing and addressing the width and slopes of the sidewalks along Madison Street. The city is still looking at the project, Woolford said, but it will have to be done in parts over time, which poses a design challenge. 'We want it all to look the same,' he said. 'That's going to be the key that the design fits with the overall scope of the plan.' Although it had been two lanes in the past, Madison Street has been one lane for a few years. It has angled parking on both sides. 'If we widen the sidewalks, it would happen on the sidewalk and not into the street,' Woolford said. 'There might be some parallel parking on one side and angled parking on the other. But that final plan hasn't been determined.' The plan is not defeated, Alvey said. 'We will revamp our ideas and move forward,' he said. 'It's in a TIF district so there will be TIF funding at the moment and other grants that we are pursuing to enhance and improve the flow of traffic downtown. "It's still something we have in the planning stage. We'll keep working on it.' Erich Murphy is a reporter at the Pontiac Daily Leader. This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Plans moving forward despite city missing out on grant
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Construction on new parking lots about to start in downtown Pontiac. Here's what to know
With the weather getting warmer, the construction season is starting to kick into gear and that means the beginning of a massive overhaul of two major parking lots in downtown Pontiac. The two lots being done with summer with work expected to start any day now are the lots behind City Hall and the Public Safety Complex. Work is expected to wrap up by August. So if you use those lots when you conduct business downtown or visit the stores and venues, you're going to need to come up with a plan B. 'Originally, we were hoping to get it done before winter, but the election and some other things made us decide that that really wasn't the prudent timeline,' City Engineer Brian Verdun said. The city then hoped to start the reconstruction mid-April but discovered the project will require moving a water main under Livingston Street, which caused further delay. More: Illinois 116 is being redone in Pontiac. Here's what you need to know H.J. Eppel and Co. is doing the work at a cost of $615,000. The city plans to temporarily add angle parking south of the food pantry and encouraged downtown patrons to use the Dargan lot at Water and Mill streets, the Eagle Theater on North Plum Street, as well as on-street parking. This project includes adding concrete in some places to the new parking lot surfaces, new curb and gutter, new sidewalks and ADA ramps and new entrances The work at City Hall will help address a drainage problem in front of the building. The plan is to take the drainage away from the front door and moving into the middle of the lot, where a new storm drain will be placed, Verdun said. 'We have this aggregate right in front of our door that also serves as moving water out,' City Administrator Jim Woolford said. 'Having that as your path for water removal right in the entrance is a bad idea.' City Hall will remain open during this work. The reception area will be moved into City Hall Chambers and that door will become the main entrance until the drainage work is completed. Woolford said the parking lot at City Hall serves the community and is in bad shape, which is why the city is re-doing it. The city is asking that business owners not park in front of their businesses so those spots can be used by patrons, The electric vehicle charging station will be out of service during construction. The four ports will be available again when the work is complete. This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Work about to begin on new parking lots in downtown Pontiac
