Des Plaines OKs funds for downtown street upgrades

Des Plaines city officials this week decided they would allocate $2.75 million in the 2012 budget for downtown street improvements, including replacing sidewalks and brick pavers, and adding street furniture and lighting.

During a final budget review meeting, some city aldermen were concerned about tearing up all the sidewalks in downtown and didn’t want to spend that much money before seeing conceptual plans for the proposed work.

Des Plaines 6th Ward Alderman Mark Walsten said he has been in contact with a state historical preservationist who believes the city could establish a historical district in downtown. The city should explore all its options before investing the money, he said.

City Manager Jason Slowinski assured the city council that before a dime is spent on improvements, the city would hire a consultant to develop a conceptual master plan and conduct a study to determine which sidewalks need replacing.

“It’s a budget figure. You don’t have to spend it. What you are saying is, this is a project that’s important to us,” Slowinski said.

Out of the $2.75 million total budget for the project, $500,000 is allocated for the design and conceptual engineering portion of the project.