W. Dundee downtown fix-up to start in spring

West Dundee will continue its goal of keeping the busy downtown stretch of Main Street pedestrian-friendly and aesthetically pleasing when it begins its long-awaited streetscape project in the spring.

Village trustees Monday approved design plans for planter boxers to replace the limestone balustrades that had lined the street -- also known as Route 72 -- for more than a decade.

New public parking signs also were selected during Monday's committee of the whole meeting.

Village staff now will prepare bid requirements for trustee approval.

Hitchcock Design Group, the Naperville landscape architecture and land planning firm charged with creating the streetscape, estimates the project to cost about $386,000.

That should buy the village 16 parking lot signs and 14 planters -- seven on each side of the street between Second Avenue and the Fox River -- that will serve as a buffer between the sidewalk and road.

"The purpose is to provide a sense of place for the pedestrians in relationship to the significant traffic volume on Route 72," Village Administrator Joe Cavallaro said. "It also adds to the enhancement of the entry feature into West Dundee."

Trustees selected a stone planter wall to match the stone used along the village's River Walk.

Public parking signs feature the village's logo and continue the color scheme of brown, beige and green found in the village's new street signs.

"I think it is important to enhance the downtown area and show an investment in the area if we are trying to encourage people to spend money and locate business there," Trustee Tom Price said. "I think the streetscape does that."

Though discussions on replacing the deteriorating balustrades and sidewalks began in September 2006, Cavallaro said design approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation held up work.