Streetscape nears completion
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POLSON — The finishing touches, such as landscaping and pouring the last of the concrete for sidewalks, are being applied to Polson’s Main Street to complete the streetscape project before Friday’s big block party this Friday, Nov. 5, when Main Street will open for pedestrian traffic.
As of Monday, Nov. 1, Polson City engineer Shari Johnson said there was a little concrete sidewalk to be poured, landscaping to be completed on the first three blocks of Main Street south of Hwy. 93, and some striping to be finished. The overhead lights are still on backorder and may not arrive for at least a month, according to Johnson.
Northwest Landscapers jumped right on the job on Monday and planted trees, maple and snowberry, and prepped beds for plants and flowers on street corners.
The concrete was poured Nov. 1, with Polson Street Department personnel keeping a wary eye on the cement until it dried.
Inspector Tyler Herreid commented that the contractor’s crews have been working six-day weeks for the last three weeks, and even worked Election Day.
Though there are always some people who aren’t happy, Johnson said everybody mostly worked together — the contractors, the city, the streetscape committee, business owners and the community.
One of the project’s challenges was saturated clay in the first couple blocks of Main Street.
“A lot of excavating was done to dig out that undesirable dirt and bring in imported fill,” Johnson explained.
Excavation on Main Street also dredged up some vintage octagonal-shaped clay storm pipe, Herreid said, as well as one old cedar water main, coal chutes and shipping chutes packed with soil and an old fuel tank as well as a lot of dirt, gravel and clay.
Now the water mains are in, the streets are paved with temporary striping and will be chip sealed next summer. As soon as the decorative lights come in they can be installed.
Karen McMullen and Cindy Willis, local business people, are organizers of a committee to start fundraising to complete the Streetscape Project and for SID relief.
Officials from the construction company, the city and the state will tour the site on Wednesday to see what remains to be done, but “overall the project went really smooth,” Johnson added.
The construction company finished ahead of schedule trying to avoid winter weather. Johnson also said the company “heard the community and the city say ‘get in and get out.’”
