Phase One of the riverfront construction project is set to begin early this month, and to be completed by July 1.
“From the very first plans which were landscape drawings, to getting it engineered, to finally getting it tendered, has been a long time,” said town councillor Paula Evans of the Riverfront Design Review Committee.
Evans said she is excited because the plans for the project have been five years in the making.
The majority of Phase One is paving, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, as well as landscaping the surrounding area, said town CAO Doug Topinka.
“The landscaping is part of Phase One, but it isn’t part of the contract,” he said. “That will be done with other resources other than the contractor.”
The contractor is going to begin by moving utilities.
When Phase One of the construction is complete, there will be two decorative entrances, with the east one leading to a roundabout. Between the entrances, there will be large, angled parking spots for RV campers and tour buses. Outlining the parking lot will be a walkway.
“During construction, it’s going to take the whole area out of use,” said Topinka.
Although Phase One is set for completion by July, Phase Two must wait until the Highway 55/813 intersection is completed.
“The main reason for that is because it is in the interchange shadow, in that when they do the interchange, they will be taking up some of the land temporarily,” said Evans. “The footprint is larger than the project itself, which is why the caboose is being moved.”
Boaters will still be able to launch from the riverfront when Phase One is completed. However, the plan to improve the boat launch is not being considered at this point.
“That’s a great deal of money, and we’ve talked to the county about working together on (the boat launch), but that’s not happening yet,” said Evans.
The boat launch is important to the committee, she said, as boaters have been the largest group to express their needs.
Evans added that a new boat launch is part of the future plans.
