Expansion of St. Charles' First Street Plaza nearing completion
The First Street Plaza expansion in St. Charles will be mostly complete by the end of the year, an official told the city council's Government Services Committee this week.
The plaza construction at Main and First streets began in May. The work includes the permanent closure of First Street to vehicles from Walnut to Main streets to accommodate a public walkway with riverwalk access, a solar pergola trellis and public art installations.
Assistant Director of Public Works Chris Adesso said underground work has been complete since the first week in August. Now base concrete layers are being laid, and top surfaces, vertical elements and landscaping will be installed in the next month.
The redevelopment of First Street is a collaborative effort between the city and the St. Charles Initiative, an advisory committee of community leaders.
The St. Charles Initiative is accepting donations and offering sponsorship opportunities for residents to help the development by buying naming rights or funding the furnishing elements. Additions made possible by sponsors will be outfitted with plaques that recognize those who donated.
The initiative has raised more than $1.5 million, including a $600,000 grant from Exelon and a $56,153 riverboat grant from Kane County.
The project's first phase was completed last spring. It included building a retention wall along the Fox River and filling the space left where the Manor Restaurant had been demolished. Phase one also included site acquisition, design and initial construction, at a total cost of $2.04 million.
The second, and final, phase will cost $4.38 million. It includes construction, management, furnishings and landscaping.
"There are certainly going to be some components that aren't there, but we're hoping to have the majority up and open for holiday celebrations," Adesso said.
Some of the electronic, mechanical and aesthetic elements are slightly delayed because of supply chain issues, but the bulk of construction work is moving forward according to the original timeline, he added.