Albert Lea city staff are continuing to look for feedback about a reconstruction plan that has been proposed for Broadway Avenue from Fountain Lake to Front Street.

The plan, prepared for the city by architect Pat Waddick, of Minneapolis, calls for new underground utilities, paving, sidewalk, lighting and landscaping.

Community Development Director Bob Graham said the sewer and water utilities underground are about 90 years old and in need of replacement. The heat tunnels that run under the sidewalks are also more than 100 years old and are deteriorating.

Graham said the plan adheres to the new “complete streets” policy adopted by the city in 2009 during the AARP/Blue Zones Vitality Project, which new subdivisions and reconstructed streets are required to fulfill.

A complete street is one in which motorized vehicles, nonmotorized vehicles and pedestrians have equal priority and access to a road without one dominating the other, he said. In the case of the downtown, this would mean wide sidewalks, easy pedestrian crossings, benches for rest, landscaping, safe parking bays and clearly directed traffic lanes.

Specifically, some of the changes include going from parking at a 50-degree angle to instead parking at a 45-degree angle, having 19-foot-wide sidewalks, installing information kiosks and having landscaping planted into the sidewalk instead of planters with large grates to catch water, he said. Paving will also be designed to reduce runoff and the load on storm sewers.

The plan also includes a redevelopment of Fountain Lake Park.

Graham said costs are estimated at least at $5.6 million. The project could be completed all at once or in phases, depending on funds available.

Graham said the proposal has been presented to the Albert Lea Planning Commission and Heritage Preservation Commission members without any negative feedback.

Now, they’re looking to get additional feedback from community members during the next few months.

“If they have ideas on how to do it, we want to know now before we engineer it,” he said.

Plans are available for review in the city engineer’s and city manager’s offices.

Plans will also be presented to groups on request.

To leave feedback or ask questions, people can contact Graham by phone at 377-4316 or by e-mail at bgraham@city.albertlea.org.

Bonding bill request:
During a visit to the state Capitol last week, Albert Lea City Manager Pat McGarvey and some members of the Albert Lea City Council made a request to include $684,000 in the state bonding bill for a portion of the Broadway Avenue reconstruction project.
Community Development Director Bob Graham said the money would cover the amenities that go along with the redevelopment, including the lighting and landscaping.
Graham said the city will be looking at other sources for the sewer and water infrastructure upgrades.
He said he thinks these amenities are vital in making an attractive, exciting downtown where people will want to visit.