Marinette Main Street project moves ahead without trees

MARINETTE – New trees planned to green up Marinette’s downtown Main Street area have been axed from a $2.3 million public works and beautification project, after the city’s common council reviewed the cost and upkeep.

The council decided to detour around the trees and use other plants at a lower cost, Marinette Mayor Steve Genisot said.

The project also has required motorists detour around the area, while new water mains, sewers, sidewalks, lighting and roadway were installed.

This week, the intersection of Wells Street and Main Street will be closed through Oct. 20 to allow for new crosswalks to be installed. Vehicles should follow the posted detour signs to avoid the intersection, said Project Manager and Civil Engineer Matt Looby from Ayres Associates Inc., the firm managing the project.

Despite the disruptions, Main Street merchants have opened for business as usual – with parking available in the rear of most stores and a section of sidewalk in the front providing pedestrians with access to the stores during construction.

The decision to modify the landscaping plan and chop the tree plantings from the project at least temporarily came from the city and not the engineers, Looby said.

The council discussed the city’s history with trees downtown and the cost to start with, Marinette Mayor Steve Genisot said. “It was many thousands of dollars,” he said. The trees would have to be protected from the salt and harsh winters, which would have added to the cost, Genisot added.

About 12 Skyline Honey Locust trees and 11 American Elm trees had been planned for along Main Street, along with shrubs. They could be planted at a later date, he said.

“We discussed what our current history has been with the current trees left and the amount of dollars they wanted to start with. It was many thousands of dollars,” Genisot said. “We’re going to go with planting beds, a variety of different ones.”

Oct. 31 is the target completion date for the project that included replacing the water main and sanitary sewer from Pierce and Hall avenues to Main and Wells streets and beautifying the area with new sidewalks, street lights, curbs, roadway and other amenities, said Looby.

The project plan included over $200,000 in decorative lighting similar to the street lights along Riverside Avenue, said Brian Miller, director of public works for the City of Marinette.

The design includes a grassy green space for the triangle where Wisconsin Street and Pierce Avenue meet Main Street. It is expected to include tables for eating when weather permits. “We have a nice spot to put picnic tables, benches and bike racks,” Genisot said.

Electric power will be included at the triangular area, so food trucks can come in, Miller said.

A new concrete roadway, instead of asphalt, is expected to extend the project’s longevity. Stamped concrete is being used to dress up some parts of the project, Looby said.

The project, which broke ground in late July, has involved excavating the roadway, installing underground conduit for new street lights, installing new traffic signals and pouring new concrete light-pole bases, curbs and gutters.

It also included full reconstruction of underground utilities, including sanitary sewer, storm sewer and water main, along with new concrete road pavement and new sidewalks on both sides of the street, Miller said.

As an indication of the progress made, the traffic signals at the intersection of Wells and Main streets are back up and functioning.

The project is the second part of a downtown beautification project that also included Ludington Street. Together, the two-part project received about $5.4 million in state and federal grants, Looby said.

The Ludington Street project received a $1 million WisDOT Transportation Economic Assistance (TEA) grant and $3.9 million from EDA Economic Adjustment Assistance, which was part of the federal Cares Act, he said. The Main Street project has received a $631,235 TEA grant from WisDOT, Looby said. Tax-increment financing and some borrowing also have been tapped for Main Street, Miller said.