Thursday, May. 08, 2008
Lights shine on square project
By Terry Evans
Part of the downtown Weatherford revitalization project, the poles and complementary benches, stanchions and trash receptacles help give folk an idea what the entire square will look like when it’s finished.
Engineering Specialist Greg Lane, with TxDOT, said the square is on schedule.
"We’re on schedule with the timeline provided to us by the contractor," he said. "Vintage reproduction light poles and fixtures were installed in the northwest quadrant [last] week. We set the benches and new trash receptacles there as well."
The northwest quadrant still has some drainage work, landscaping and plantings to be installed, Lane said.
"At some point, the city will repave the parking areas in that quadrant," he added. "The state will repave the state-system roadways in that area. We’re trying to schedule our hot mix-asphalt work around the contractor’s work. We’d like to button it up together so that once [contractor] Ed Wilson’s work is done the state’s and city’s portions of the project will be finished as well."
The entire project is scheduled to be completed in October. But Lane said project administrators hope to have the bulk of the major activities completed prior to July’s Peach Festival.
"We started working in the southeast quadrant Tuesday [April 29]," he said. "Most of the east storefront sidewalk was out by Thursday afternoon. The rest should be gone by Saturday. They were talking with owners of the Chicken Scratch and Quick Print to develop a schedule that will be the least intrusive to their businesses."
When the southeast quadrant is finished, Lane and other supervisors will determine if work should begin in the southwest quadrant, in deference to Peach Festival.
"We may move into the northeast quadrant instead, if we don’t feel that we have ample time to get finished by Peach Festival," Lane said.
Lane felt compelled to address controversy that has surrounded the limestone walls that line the square’s major arteries. Those walls, he said, were approved back in 2001 as part of the concept of traffic-calming.
"Part of the intent is to direct pedestrian traffic to appropriate cross walks and provide some aesthetic that complements the downtown area," he said. "They were never meant to be historical. We do what we can to help enhance what’s there and not to detract from the overall look and feel."
Limestone was selected for the walls because the majority of the buildings are some sort of limestone or similar construction, Lane said.
"The quarry where the limestone was taken for the courthouse is no longer available," he said. "We matched it as closely as we could from available sources. It was purchased locally, but I don’t know what quarry it came from."
The traffic reconfiguration concept with the walls was part of the original plan that was presented during a town hall event hosted by the Weatherford Main Street Advisory Board, Lane said. Two public hearings were conducted by Weatherford City Council in addition to that town hall meeting.
"A resolution was passed by Council to submit an application to the state for funding," Lane said. "The conceptual design was part of that application. In submitting that application, the City Council approved the design concept."
Councilman Waymon Hamilton said that from the time he first saw the concept, he saw the walls as a safety feature to prevent pedestrians from jaywalking.
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