Streetscape plan challenged

HUMBOLDT — Johnny Appleseed would have suffered a few fits of anxiety here Wednesday night.
Most downtown business owners don’t want trees growing in front of their shops.
Streetscape improvements for the downtown area, in the works for about three years, were discussed with about 25 residents, including several downtown property owners. The outcome was the owners want a more precise and detailed plan of what will occur before they’re willing to sign off on the project.
A frequent sticking point was the inclusion of trees, although they have been removed from the square and relegated to two blocks of Bridge Street, between Sixth and Eighth streets.
Dr. Sean McReynolds, who encouraged the public meeting, said if a tree were placed in front of his dental office at 711 Bridge, along with a new street light, access to his office would be impaired. Already two flag standards are in front of the office.
“You wouldn’t have any access at all,” he said.
Kent Barfoot noted Barfoot Lumber, which takes up a good portion of the south side of Bridge between Sixth and Seventh streets, would suffer with addition of trees and street lights. The yard’s two entrances are narrow and much loading and unloading is done on the street.
While trees were no longer an issue for her on the square, Terry Butts said she didn’t want anything in front of her flower shop at 107 S. Ninth St. “that I can’t sell.”
Her comment came after discussion centered on benches, flower pots and trash receptacles.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR Larry Tucker began the two-hour-plus session with a tutorial of what may occur.
The project is at the behest of the Downtown Action Team and includes more than just beautification in what essentially are two projects.
One would improve sidewalks, and, he said, is a precursor to streetscape improvements, which began with three phases — downtown, West Bridge and East Bridge and North Ninth streets.
“The initial estimate was too costly,” Tucker said, which led to the third phase, East Bridge and North Ninth streets, being pushed aside.
“The city feels we have some poor sidewalks downtown and made that a separate project,” he said.
A federal grant for $40,000 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been filed. If successful, city crews will do the sidewalk work.
Funding for the streetscape would come from a grant of $420,000 administered by the Kansas Department of Transportation; $11 million was allocated to Kansas for the next two years for such projects by the federal government. Application deadline is Feb. 14, which gives some urgency to planning that will be done by Matt Just, a civil engineer with d3 Civil, an Olathe engineering firm.
If the grant is approved, DAT would have to come up with a 20 percent match, $84,000. The committee has about $50,000 in hand and has been promised up to $15,000 by Monarch Cement Co., depending on how much is matched by other contributions.
Committee members, including Tucker, are confident they can meet the local match.
However, there is no guarantee the grant will be forthcoming.
“There’s a lot of competition,” Tucker said.

IF FINANCING materializes improvements would include 44 new street lights that would resemble those removed in the 1950s. The standards would be 14 feet tall and have acorn-shaped lights at the top.
A concern expressed was that the shorter poles wouldn’t permit light to be cast into dark areas off the main streets. Paul Finney, a DAT member, noted there was a light behind his business along West Bridge and others could be arranged with Westar.
Decorative brick imprints would be added to the edges of new sidewalks and stenciled onto the sidewalk recently replaced on the south side of Bridge.
Trees are a feature off the square and flower pots — placed where owners want them, Tucker said — are as well. Where trees are planted, an underground irrigation system will be installed.
Tucker also noted that only miniature trees would be planted, although varieties are yet to be decided.
Benches and trash receptacles would be strategically places, although there seems to be movement to eliminate the benches because many are available “in our beautiful (downtown square) park,” Finney said.
The light standards would be fitted to accommodate Christmas decorations, and “trees would have those little Christmas lights,” Tucker added.
One component of improvements has been done. The bandstand, a landmark downtown for a century or more, was completely redone with private donations and volunteer labor.

IN CONCLUSION Reynolds put a cap on the sometimes slightly contentious exchanges by urging DAT members to “put more details together and ask us back,” for another meeting.
Just said he would take what he heard from the meeting, as well as other discussions, and “determine exact placement” of improvements with property owners.
“I understand we need a lot more input,” he said, noting that if the grant is successful changes in design could made then, provided expenditures didn’t exceed what was approved.
Time and place of another meeting will be announced later.
Jerry Stephens, committee and Humbodlt council member, launched several in-depth observations.
“Our aim is to beautify downtown,” Stephens said. “There is no guarantee” it will make business more viable or successful, or even add to the commercial inventory. But, “I don’t see what’s wrong with (Humbodlt) being more attractive.”
Butts said property owners “just want to be heard and we don’t think we get listened to.”
Tucker and others on the committee assured they were all ears.