The Carroll City Council narrowly passed a resolution during last night’s (Monday) meeting to put the final phase of the Downtown Streetscape on hold indefinitely. For nearly 20 years, city officials have been working to improve the visual appeal and functionality of the Highway 30 corridor through Carroll. Phase 11 would mark the last step in the process. The proposed areas include the six blocks between Putnam and West Streets and the space between Clark Street and Grant Road. Construction was initially scheduled for next year during Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, but the project was delayed to FY25 due to budgetary concerns. Landscape Architect Jim Host for the project’s designers, Confluence, outlines Phase 11’s scope for the council.
Host adds the initial plan includes removing the street lights found on the south side of the highway and installing new ones on the north side. The very preliminary cost estimate for Phase 11 is approximately $1.7 million. Ward 1 Councilman Tom Bordenaro questioned the project’s price tag and what benefit it brings to taxpayers.
Bordenaro favored removing Phase 11 from city planning permanently, but future city councils could always bring the project back down the road. Ward 4 Councilwoman Carolyn Siemann believes the city should hear from the public before nixing Phase 11 entirely.
A motion to cancel the project ended in a 3-3 tie with councilmembers Bordenaro, Kyle Bauer, and JJ Schreck voting yes and Siemann, Misty Boes, and LaVern Dirkx voting no. Mayor Mark Beardmore broke the tie, voting to remove Phase 11 from city planning for now. Video from this section of Monday’s Carroll City Council meeting is included below.
______
