Massive Main Street project finally under way
Representatives from around the state joined McMinnville officials Monday to announce the start of downtown revitalization on Main Street after more than five years of preparation.
About $5 million in improvements are planned for Main Street east of its intersection with Chancery Street and stretching to the downtown fire station. The renovations include street and sidewalk improvements, decorative elements including the old downtown fountain, new landscaping, and new water and sewer work.
Abackhoe operator dug through the street Monday at the intersection of Main and Chancery to start the official fanfare for the project’s first phase between Chancery Street and Court Square. Plans were to start the project with demolition of streets and sidewalks and water line work immediately following the ground-breaking ceremony, with portions of Main and Chancery closed at 5 a.m. Monday.
In announcing the start of the project, Mayor Royce Davenport touted downtown as the heart of the community.
“While what we have here today is what we are accustomed to, it can be much more functional and definitely much more attractive,” said Davenport.
“This project will not only add more trees, plantings and grassy areas, but will return a historic fountain and a statue to the public center of our community,” Davenport continued. “It will create more of a park appearance in all of downtown. This appearance will be great for all McMinnvillians, but there is an economic aspect here beyond local perception. If our Main Street is attractive and entreating to us, it will also be to the business person looking for a new location,” he added.
Davenport also encouraged people to patronize the businesses that will be most affected by reduced traffic flow due to the road closures near Main Street.
“I am asking our entire community to go out of our way to do business downtown during the next 14 months,” Davenport added of the time it will take to complete three planned phases of construction from Chancery Street to near the fire station on Main Street. “These businesses are staying here to be the genesis of the new Main Street downtown McMinnville and to help that happen, we need to expend every effort we can to shop, buy, eat and bank downtown.”
The city is contributing more than $2.5 million for construction via bonds issued in 2002. Additional funds have been generated through state and federal grants of about $1 million, a county contribution of $140,000 for work at the courthouse and $125,000 planned from private fundraising activities like decorative brick and bench sales. Electric line and light work is being done “in-house” by McMinnville Electric System.
After bids came back too high twice, city officials decided they could save about $500,000 worth of work if McMinnville’s Public Works and Urban Forestry departments contributed demolition, traffic control and landscaping work in-house as well. Construction is being done by Apex Construction Services and a number of subcontractors.
Main Street McMinnville director Chris Wilson, the third director to lead the nonprofit organization that has spearhead the project since 1999, was ecstatic about the development and predicted anticipation for the grand opening of newly-designed streets.
Former alderman Rickey Jones, who was one of the founding supporters on a former city board, attended Monday’s ceremony along with former alderman Bill Lively. City officials fought through many misperceptions over the years related to refurbishing downtown.
“Any time you talk of something new where there is change, there is going to be resistance. We had to overcome that resistance, but it was well worth the effort,” Jones said. “We have good enough people working on this project to make it come about and I credit the existing board and the mayor for the effort they put into it. I think they’ve done a good job and we’re all going to reap the benefits of it.”
The current Board of Mayor and Aldermen consists of Davenport, Vice Mayor Patti Nunley, Donald Hillis, Jimmy Bonner, Michael Chrisawn, Bobby Kirby and Jimmy Haley.