First Ave. improvements detailed

SANDPOINT — The second phase of the city’s downtown revitalization project will, in many ways, mirror last year’s improvements along Cedar Street. One notable difference, however, will be the dates of construction.

While last year’s construction took place throughout the summer, crews won’t be tearing into First Avenue until after Labor Day in September, though City Public Works Director Amanda Wilson said that is not the “best time” for such work.

“But we understand it’s what is best for the businesses and best for the community,” Wilson told the group of downtown business owners who gathered at the Little Panida Theater on Tuesday.

The first phase of the downtown revitalization project encompassed three blocks of Cedar, between Second and Fifth avenues. The second phase will continue from Second and Cedar, around the corner onto First Avenue down to Bridge Street. The Feb. 11 fire that took five businesses in two buildings of the historic district could pose a challenge to the project design. City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton said it could be several months, or potentially a year or two, that the impact of the fire will be felt downtown. The two buildings will likely have to be demolished after the investigation is complete, she said. Nevertheless, the downtown revitalization project will continue.

The first phase of the project was completed in the fall, and improvements include sidewalk reconstruction, stormwater piping, storm gardens with seating walls, benches, bike racks, landscaping, trees, lighting and more. The second phase will see similar improvements.

“We really tried to maintain the look and feel of phase one here in phase two,” said City Engineer Dan Tadic.

Mayor Shelby Rognstad said the project is focused on safety, accessibility and beautification of downtown. Stormwater management is a “key component” as well, he said.

The downtown revitalization project dates back to the inception of the Sandpoint Urban Renewal District in 2005, Rognstad said. One of the primary goals of SURA is to revitalize the downtown streets, and is the primary funding mechanism for the effort, he said. City Council then approved the “Downtown Streets Plan and Design Guide” in 2012, Rognstad said, which laid out the community’s vision for the downtown area.

“The goal, really, is to make downtown Sandpoint a real destination for residents and visitors,” Rognstad said. “Through this project, Sandpoint aspires to be the hub of the Inland Northwest.”

Much of Tuesday’s discussion with the business owners surrounded the bulbouts at the intersections, which were implemented along Cedar last year. The bulbouts are a safety feature because they shorten the distance a pedestrian needs to cross the street, Tadic said. They are also “traffic calming,” he said, as people naturally slow down when the road narrows, though it is still 24-feet wide at the intersections. However, if the bulbouts are placed on the corner of First Avenue and Church Street, it would pose a challenge for large vehicles — including recreation vehicles and boat trailers — traveling through the corridor.

Some of the business owners present at the meeting said they like the feature, but suggested scaling them back to allow the longer vehicles to turn onto Church Street, particularly for those coming out of City Beach in the summer.

The final design will go before City Council on March 6, and will subsequently go out to bid with a contractor expected to be on board by May or June. Construction will begin after Labor Day and finish for the winter around Thanksgiving, though there will be a few things crews will have to finish up in the spring, Wilson said. Final completion of the second phase is slated for May 2020, before Lost in the ‘50s weekend.

Information: sandpointstreets.com

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.