Streetscape work to include Central Park

As the construction season approaches, Fairfield officials are gearing up for the third phase of the city?s downtown streetscape project.

The streetscape project will continue this summer with work in Central Park and on Court Street between Burlington Avenue and Broadway Avenue. It includes the replacement of sidewalks in Central Park and the installation of several nodes, new streetlamps and a strip of brick in the Court Street sidewalk.

The engineer?s estimate for the project is $533,000. The city has been awarded federal enhancement funding through the Department of Transportation for the project.

Because the D.O.T. is responsible for letting the project, Jerry Long of French-Reneker-Associates Inc. said the city has no information at this time about when construction will begin. The bid letting is, however, scheduled for May 19.

As one of the many steps the city has to complete in order to obtain the funding, the Fairfield City Council approved an engineering services agreement March 23. If the agreement also is approved by the Federal Highway Administration, the administration will pay up to 70 percent of the costs for engineering during construction ? up to 70 percent of an estimated $57,500.

While planning this phase of the streetscape project, Long said several unique factors had to be considered, such as the many memorial benches in the park. The water fountain, also a memorial, in the southwest corner of the park doesn?t get much use in its current location, so plans call for it to be moved to the northeast corner, Long said.

For the complete article, see the Tuesday, March 31, 2009, Fairfield Ledger.