Phase three of Court Street work slated for June

by Aaron Reincheld
Staff Writer

Uptown patrons who are relieved construction has stopped will have a few more months to enjoy the peace and quiet before work begins again this summer.

The city plans to replace sidewalks, curbs and trash receptacles on Court Street between Washington and State streets, said Larry Payne, president of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce. Construction is slated to start the week after Ohio University's graduation ceremonies.

The proposal calls for the burying of overhead power wires and the continuation of installing streetlights similar to those used at the turn of the century, Payne said.

"It's going to make Court Street look so much more aesthetic," he said. "You'll be able to look at the view of the buildings and not have to see all these wires and poles."

The summer's construction is the third phase of the Court Street Improvement Project. As with the other construction, hopes are for work on the intersections to be finished before students return for Fall Quarter, said Wayne Key, Athens Service-Safety director.

Although the intention is to start the Monday after graduation, that might be wishful thinking, Key said. In the past, problems caused delays for start dates.

"We've tried this before," he said. "By the time everything got in place, as a result of nobody's fault, we were well into the school year before we actually started the work."

Rita Robb, manager at Broghammer Christian Supply, 42 N. Court St., agreed with the city's decision that summer was the best time to do the work because students are not around.

"It'll be nice if they do it, but at the same time it will be hard to live with the construction," she said.

When the work is done ultimately depends on when the money is available, Payne said.

"Sometimes it takes longer to get the funding," he said. "One time, it started the week of school, but our goal was always to have it in the summertime."

The estimated cost of the concrete is about $130,000, Key said. But the project's final cost will not be known until construction companies bid on the job. Bids will start within the next few weeks to have everything in place for a June start.

The city has received two grants for construction this summer, Key said. Each $90,000 grant will be used to replace the traffic and walk signals at the intersection of Court and Union streets as well as at Court and Washington streets.

In the future, construction might continue on Court Street past State Street, Key said. The timetable for this fourth phase is undecided.

"This office and probably the Chamber of Commerce has probably had enough commentary from the business community and others in the community that want to keep the thing going, and that's our intention," Key said.

If a fourth phase were undertaken, Court Street would be improved between State and Carpenter streets, Payne said. The Chamber of Commerce eventually would like to see the side streets around Court Street, such as Union and State streets, renovated also.

"It makes the aesthetics downtown so much nicer, and there have been so many comments about how it's changed the look," Payne said. "We've had nothing but good comments about it so far."