Downtown revitalization

Construction workers piece together a new arch Thursday at South Main Street and College Avenue off the downtown square in Jacksonville. Journal-Courier/Nick Turner

By Cody Bozarth | Journal-Courier | May 11, 2012

For many, a new arch on South Main Street could be seen as a quaint piece of flair spanning the entrance to the square.

It could also be seen as something quintessentially Jacksonvillian.

For one, it’s been built by city icon Eli Bridge Co., chosen for its expertise in crafting latticed steel used in its Ferris wheels.

In just about two hours Thursday, sections arch were bolted in place just north of College Avenue as more than a dozen people looked on.

Eli Bridge welder Carl Davis of Ashland was one of several workers who helped build and raise the arch. Read the rest of this entry »

By Greg Olson | Journal-Courier | May 3, 2012

Machines were smoothing out warm asphalt Wednesday as some of the finishing touches were being applied to new and improved sections of downtown Jacksonville streets.

Project engineer Jim Burke of Hutchison Engineering said all paving will be completed this week, weather permitting.

The resurfacing work is being done on South Main Street between the square and Beecher Avenue, on College Avenue between South Sandy and South Mauvaisterre streets, and on the municipal parking lot at the northeast corner of College Avenue and South Main Street.

Burke said South Main between the square and College Avenue will reopen to traffic after a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the morning of May 19, before the start of the Downtown Celebration parade.

“The project is on an accelerated schedule in order to meet the May 19 Downtown Celebration date,” Burke said. Read the rest of this entry »

By Greg Olson | Journal-Courier | May 02, 2012

Jacksonville’s Downtown Celebration organizers have planned some new twists to keep the excitement for the event at a high level.

This year’s celebration will kick off with a parade at 10 a.m. May 19, followed by a variety of activities that conclude at 9 p.m.

The parade begins at the Jacksonville High School Bowl, goes east on West College Avenue, north on South Main Street, continues around the square and exits on West State Street. Read the rest of this entry »

By Jake Russell | Journal-Courier | November 03, 2011

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer may have saved Christmas for everybody, but Main Street came to the rescue for Jacksonville.

Tom Winner, vice president of the Jacksonville Main Street board, is a self-proclaimed lover of the holiday celebration downtown.

But displays that weren’t destroyed in the 2007 ice storm were getting old and the downtown was struggling. Because of tough economic times, it was hard to come up with replacements as the city couldn’t afford it.

Things were looking bleak. Read the rest of this entry »

By Cody Bozarth | Journal-Courier | Aug. 24, 2011

The old Gustine building in downtown Jacksonville will soon be see some additional renovation to ready its ground floor for potential tenants.

The city of Jacksonville has approved a new TIF grant that will be used to renovate the interior and exterior of the property at 229 S. Main St.

Community Development Director Kelly Hall said property owner Tom Grojean plans to do about $140,000 of work as part of the project.

A TIF grant was awarded for 10 percent of the cost for interior renovations to prepare the first floor for three separate tenant spaces. Hall said by precedence the TIF has been used to award grants for interior work up to 25 percent of the total cost, but some work has already been completed.

An additional grant will cover 50 percent of the facade renovations. Both grants total about $24,800.

South Main project begins next week

By Cody Bozarth | Journal-Courier | August 19, 2011

Downtown Jacksonville continues its turnaround with the South Main Street project starting next week.

While the project will ease traffic flow in the area, motorists may see some detours during construction.

Project engineer Jim Burke of Hutchison Engineering said the final contracts are expected to be executed by early next week, and once that happens K.E. Vas Co. can start.

When completed, South Main Street traffic will open to the square and a new traffic light will be placed at College Avenue.

Existing lights on College Avenue at Sandy and Mauvaisterre streets will also be removed.

A new archway manufactured by Eli Bridge Co. will be installed over South Main Street.

The first step of the project will be installing a new water main, which is expected to cause some traffic issues.

“Unlike the square, with the location of the water main and installation of the services we expect significant lane closures and in some cases full street closures,” Burke said. “College [Avenue] will be closed in its entirety some times.”

Northbound traffic on Main Street will likely be rerouted on East Beecher Avenue then north on Mauvaisterre Street.

Those exiting the square on Sandy Street will likewise continue to Beecher Avenue to reach Main Street.

“Of course, with State Street now being able to get around the square, an alternate route to get around College [Street] would be State [Street],” Burke said.

As with the square, Burke said he expects most of the major work to be completed by the end of the year with final landscaping, sprinkler work and some sign installation to be done in the spring.