Downtown streetscaping project to start after Jan. 1

The city council on April 12 will vote on a $185,418 contract with Kimley Horn and Associates to design and coordinate a downtown streetscaping project.

Those costs do not include construction of the project, which is expected to begin in January of 2018 and be completed by June. The cost of actual construction won’t be determined until final design.

Should the council approve the contract, Kimley Horn is prepared to begin a series of events leading into the design phase, including public input and review. The firm will begin meeting with various city agencies and downtown merchants and will set up informational booths at the April 29 Farmers Market on Old Main Street and the Pickin’ Picnic on May 6.

The contract is being slightly modified to consider a scope of work outside of the current project borders, which are the Manatee River to the north, Ninth Avenue West on the South, 10th Street West on the east and 13th Street on the west.

City administrator Carl Callahan said the city may want Kimley Horn to look further east because the contractor at Villages at Riverwalk is almost ready to begin clearing the land for a new Glazier Gates Park that is being built within the development.

“I think it’s a good opportunity to look at Riverside East and both Glazier Gates and Mineral Springs,” Callahan said. “We don’t want the perception to be that is just an Old Main Street project. It’s a Bradenton CRA project, and a big side of that is to the east.”

In downtown, the project will include improved lighting, more public art, landscaping, widening of sidewalks and replacement of a large portion of the downtown brick pavers with designed concrete that is easier to maintain.

The scope of work also includes the possibility of installing security cameras in downtown, installing more shaded areas south of Manatee Avenue West and building a walkable link between the Riverwalk and the Village of the Arts.

This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Downtown streetscaping project to start after Jan. 1."