Elgin ends first phase of downtown work

Elgin officials know the city's downtown revitalization work is a hassle for residents and business owners.

But city officials say they did a better job this year than last communicating with those affected by the project.

The city held a public forum this week to wrap up the first phase of its six-year, $22 million downtown revitalization project.

Residents were invited to give feedback, both positive and negative, about the work done this year, and to offer advice for the future, city spokeswoman Sue Olafson said.

"People were very positive about our communication effort, which is something we definitely knew needed to be improved," Olafson said. "Everybody seemed very comfortable with the direction we are headed."

The project is expected to wrap up in 2011. Between now and then, the city will be putting in all new water mains, sidewalks, benches, trees, lights, flowers and more citywide.

The work this year focused on Grove Avenue and DuPage, Prairie and Fulton streets, including water main replacements, new curbs and gutters, improved sidewalks and streets and landscaping.

Next year, the city will concentrate on Chicago Street.

Part of the city's improved communication this year included sending out care packages to local business owners, with maps of the city, general information on the scope of the project and magnets with the phone numbers of city officials. The packages also included stress balls and bags of Fisher nuts.

"We're doing and performing to people's expectations," Olafson said. "By and large, we are on schedule. The concerns were limited."

Despite the positive feedback, she said, there are still some areas of concern.

For instance, city staffers need to better ensure contractors uphold the agreements they make with the city, Olafson said.

"I think there's always room for improvement," she said. "That's something we'll look at and evaluate and see what we can do better."