Downtown revitalization

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.

National Construction Rentals employees Jason McCauley (from right), Jeff Herndon and Chris Kehoe pack up sections of fence Wednesday in downtown Jacksonville. With the fence down, people can now walk through Central Park for the first time since March 2010. Journal-Courier photo by Robert Leistra.

Fences come off downtown Jacksonville square

By Greg Olson | Journal-Courier | March 24, 2011

The renovation of Jacksonville’s downtown square took another step Wednesday.

Employees of National Construction Rentals in St. Louis removed more than 2,000 feet of fencing surrounding Central Park.

“The purpose of the fence was to protect the work being completed in the park over the winter,” said project engineer Jim Burke of Hutchison Engineering.

The project is 95 percent completed.

Contractor K.E. Vas has 10 working days to complete the remaining portion of the construction, which consists of finishing the landscaping, the irrigation system and the pergola.

“It is exciting to see this part of the downtown project enter the final stage,” Main Street Executive Director Judy Tighe said. “The removal of the fence is a clear sign that the project is nearing completion.”

Restoration work is also moving forward on the Civil War monument in the center of Central Park.

Erik Hack, who is coordinating the monument’s restoration, said bronze tablets have been straightened and a stainless steel reinforcement grid is being installed beneath the two plates that have access panels to the electrical and fountain plumbing systems.

“We are recaulking all the joints on the stone portions of the statue and doing prep work for the installation of the bronze tablets, which should occur within the next couple of weeks,” Hack said.

The bronze tablets hold the names of about 3,100 Morgan County men who served in the Civil War.

“I’ve always said the Civil War monument is the true heart of Jacksonville,” Hack said. “Not only does it honor Civil War veterans, it also recognizes the African-American community with its inscription commemorating the end of slavery as well as the role women played in preserving the Union. It is one of the few monuments in the nation to incorporate a female figure and it was dedicated in 1920, the year women got the right to vote.”

The statue will be rededicated June 18 as part of the annual Grierson Days and Jacksonville Main Street’s Veterans Remembered event.

New business slated for square

By Greg Olson | Journal-Courier | September 14, 2010

The renovation of the Jacksonville square has attracted a new tenant.

Dawn of Creation, a business that features handmade one-of-a kind art and jewelry, will open in February at 56 N. Side Central Park Plaza, the former home of Karen Anderson Designs.

“I am really enamored with the business environment in Jacksonville,” said Dawn Beckwith of rural Hamburg, owner and principal artist of Dawn of Creation, which has locations in Clarksville, Mo., and Grafton.

“I think it is a great place to do business. Jacksonville has really strong support for the arts because of Main Street, the Chamber of Commerce and the Imagine Foundation,” she said. Read the rest of this entry »