Main Street plans still taking shape
Main Street engineers say they are coming closer to drawing up construction documents for the downtown economic development project and hoped construction could begin early next year.
That was the word from EG&G president John Grossman and associate Paul Roszak, who returned to McMinnville last week to give members of the Main Street McMinnville Advisory Committee an update on Main Street plans.
Much of the meeting focused on details that have been evolving over the past several months as EG&G fine tunes plans.
Grossman said the goal is to have final drawings done in September for review by property owners and grant agencies which have contributed to the downtown project. From there the plan is to open bids in January, 2004 and have a ground-breaking in March, 2004.
Grossman said the majority of project funding is in place. He noted more than $2.1 million in federal, state and local grants, including $643,000 in donations and labor from McMinnville Electric System, are committed to the project, with the city of McMinnville contributing $2.5 million from a bond issue. Main Street McMinnville is hoping to raise another $125,000 in private donations with commemorative bricks and other fund-raising efforts.
Roszak said Thursday’s meeting with citizens was one of the last until September. However, he said EG&G plans to return in May or June to meet with individual property owners on-site.
“From here on, we’re going to go into construction documents,” Roszak said. The project proposes major street, sidewalk and utility improvements with decorative fixtures and many other changes for downtown. Phase one in general involves Main Street from the Chancery Street intersection extending east.