5.0. HRSR 06-27-2001 • Elk Item # 5
1 -�-1
River
MEMORANDUM
TO: Housing & Redevelopment Authority
FROM: Catherine Mehelich, Director of Economic Development %7
DATE: June 27, 2001
SUBJECT: Downtown Sidewalk Project Update
A written update of the sidewalk project and budget will be provided at the meeting from
City Engineer,Terry Maurer. Staff has reduced the number of planters from 18 to 15, and
trash receptacles from 13 to 7, as a result of overages in curb replacement.
Staff has heard positive comments about the new sidewalks from the River's Edge
Downtown Business Association members.
• Attached for your information is an article from 'Downtown Idea Exchange"newsletter
regarding the benefits of concrete pavers.
•
to follow one basic rule of thumb: The higher cost of concrete pavers
"Never be afraid of over-promot-
Ong your organization. There is no could be worth the investment
uch thing," he asserts. Although concrete pavers (dimen- the surrounding surface—"plus,
Clinton's Main Street organiza- sionally-consistent,concrete units that there are no ugly patches,"he adds.
tion and C.A.R.E.have no qualms interlock)are higher in price than
about aggressively spreading theirPavers help to slow down
poured concrete and asphalt, "overall, traffic at intersections
message. For instance, the two
they give you more for your money," Takingtheir cues from Euro-
groups together have created a 20-
asserts David Smith,technical director pean cities, an increasin number of
page tabloid insert covering the of the Washington,DC-based Inter- g
central business district and the sur communities in North America have
locking Concrete Pavement Institute, begun using concrete pavers at
rounding area.The tabloid, which a 200 lus member or anization that
comes out annually, covers news p g intersections to slow the speed of
happening throughout the area as acts as the voice of the concrete vehicular traffic.Although the most
well as providing in-depth discus- pavement industry. Below are some popular uses for concrete pavers
sions about the projects that both reasons why concrete pavers may have typically been on sidewalks
be an option your community should and in crosswalks, Smith says that
groups are involved with. consider.
"Whatever your group is work some communities have also begun
ing on—no matter how small The benefits of using them in parks and a few,like
some activities may seem—it's concrete pavers Dayton, OH, are using them to pave
important to find as many ways as Concrete pavers offer multiple streets in historic districts.
possible to make people aware of benefits for downtowns, Smith In terms of aesthetics,more and
what you're doing,"Blakney says. explains, particularly when it comes more communities are realizing their
The tabloid,which was paid for to durability. value in providing downtown with a
by local advertisers, serves as a In comparison to asphalt and unified architectural appearance.
•trong promotion tool for down- cast-in-place concrete, concrete "Of course, the buildings
town that has even helped to gener- pavers eliminate cracking,making themselves have to denote unifor
mity, but concrete pavers can help
ate additional revenue for the revi- them last much longer.Addition to achieve that goal," Smith adds.
talization effort.Despite the$3,000 ally,because the material used on Such is the case in Chattanooga,
cost for production and distribution, concrete pavers is particularly renis TN, which, he says, relies heavily
Main Street Clinton ended up with tant to damage from freezing,thaw on concrete pavers to lend unifor-
about$600 left over, which will be ing and deicing salts, they are espe- mity in parks and along miles of
used for other downtown projects. cially suited to communities facing sidewalks throughout the central
Blakney also advises downtown harsh winter conditions.Among the business district.
organizations to form bonds with the cities that have discovered their bene- Smith also reports an increase in
media in order to generate coverage. fits are St. Paul and Minneapolis, the number of communities using
"And don't be afraid to spend MN, along with the Canadian cities engraved pavers (where the names
money on advertising,"he stresses. of North Bay, Ont., and Quebec. of sponsors have been engraved into
"Many times, small downtown The latter community paves thou- the surface). Cleveland, OH,for
organizations are unwilling to spend sands of square feet of downtown instance,features a large number of
money on advertising because they streets and sidewalks each year with engraved concrete pavers outside of
think they can't afford it. But part of interlocking concrete pavement. downtown's Rock and Roll
forming a good relationship with And when it comes to allowing Museum.The pavers have become
the media is being willing to spend for ease of access to repair under- an important part of downtown's
for promotion,"he says. "Just think ground utilities, Smith notes that con- fund-raising effort, as the$75 gener-
about it as an investment in your crete pavers are second to none. In ated for each paver is being used to
organization's future." comparison to poured concrete,the enhance the area's public spaces.
•Contact Brett Blakney, Main Street pavers can be easily removed,with- Contact:David Smith, ICPI, (202) 712-
Clinton/C.A.R.E., (501) 745-7222. • out wasted pavement or damage to 9036; website: www.icpi.org/ICPI. •
6 • Downtown Idea Exchange • June 15, 2001