The public is invited to learn more about and give input on the proposed downtown Albert Lea streetscape project.

The open house will start at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Vitality Center, 211 S. Broadway Ave. A brief presentation will be made by members of the design team by Bolton & Menk at 5:30 p.m.

“We want as much public involvement in the early design phase as we can get,” Civil Engineer Chris Lowe said.

The work includes reconstruction of Broadway Avenue from Main Street to Fountain Street and includes a redesign of Fountain Lake Park and the intersection of Fountain Street and Broadway Avenue.

The proposed William Street Plaza next to the historic Freeborn National Bank building is also included in the project. A secondary project area includes Broadway Avenue from Main Street south to Front Street.

“The open house will basically be an idea-gathering session,” Lowe said. “Because it’s the downtown we want a greater level of public involvement.”

The work calls for renovation to go from building to building. That means the sidewalks, street, concrete, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, watermain, lighting and landscaping, along with improvements to Fountain Lake Park at the north end of Broadway Avenue, will be new.

Some of the goals that have been discussed for the Broadway Avenue streetscape project are to attract visitors and shoppers to the downtown area, provide space for gatherings and events, create a more pedestrian-friendly environment and preserve and reinforce local historic character of the downtown area.

This open house will be the first of several opportunities for the design team and city staff to receive input from downtown businesses and the community at large regarding these goals and the overall vision for the Broadway Avenue corridor. The proposed project would begin in spring 2013.

For more information, please call the director of public works or city engineer’s office at 507-377-4325.