Elgin likely to OK $3.6 million to finish downtown improvements

The Elgin City Council is expected to approve $3.6 million in streetscape improvements to downtown Elgin, capping a series of projects that began nearly a decade ago.

The final phase of work within the central business district comprises improvements to streetlights, railings, sidewalks and pavement on the Chicago Street and Highland Avenue bridges, and streetscaping and other work on the frontage street along the east side of Route 31 between Chicago Street and Highland Avenue, City Engineer Joe Evers said.

“It would be nice to have it all wrapped up,” Evers said. “Having projects for as many years as this one can cause a lot of confusion.”

Funding would come from nearly $2.2 million in tax-increment financing funds — property taxes made in a designated area above a certain level that go into development rather than to local governments — along with Riverboat funds originally earmarked for other street resurfacing projects — which would be delayed by a year — and money saved from the Locust Street rehabilitation project, Evers said. The city council is expected to vote on the expense Wednesday night.

If all moves forward, work will start by the end of the month and be done by summer 2016, Evers said.

Meanwhile, work to Riverside Drive between Chicago Street and Highland Avenue is almost done and the road is expected to reopen by the end of this week, he said.

Improvements within Elgin's central business district started in 2006 and have included extensive streetscaping and water main upgrades, he said.

The on-and-off work over the years has been challenging for downtown businesses, Mayor David Kaptain said. “It certainly cost the businesses something over time because of the disruption of traffic flow,” he said.

There's not much the city can do to alleviate that, other than try to ensure as much access to the businesses as possible, he said. “It's been painful at times, but now it's done. This is the last bit.”

The Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin has worked to keep property and business owners informed of ongoing street projects, including via community meetings and regular email and web updates, said Deirdre White, the agency's executive director.

“The overall streetscape improvements were needed,” she said, adding that feedback from developers, real estate brokers and potential business owners has been positive.

The central business district project — which overall has amounted to at least $30 million, mostly in tax-increment financing money — was put on hold for a few years in the aftermath of the economic recession, Evers said. The company TransSystems has assisted the city with design and construction management, he said.