Town to Receive $858K Grant for Third Street Sidewalk Upgrade

At the February 5 Town of Lake City regular meeting, Public Works Director Greg Levine addressed the Board of Trustees regarding a Multi-Modal Opportunity Fund (MMOF) grant that the town will receive through the Gunnison Valley Transportation Planning Region (GVTPR), which receives funding from Region 10. Region 10 is a Montrose-based governmental organization representing six western slope counties providing economic assistance and planning. The grant will address several issues along 3rd Street, including the installation of ADA compliant cement sidewalks with gutters along the north side of 3rd Street from Henson Street to Silver Street, and installing a pedestrian-activated crosswalk at the intersection of Highway 149 and 3rd Street. This crosswalk could incorporate solar powered lighting or even in-pavement lighting fixtures for added safety, according to Levine. From Gunnison Avenue to the west, the new cement sidewalk with gutter is envisioned to connect to the Town’s existing sidewalk system on Henson Street, which in turn provides access to the Hinsdale County Courthouse. The project will also resolve historically re-occuring drainage problems which occur at the 3rd street and Gunnison Ave intersection, and will require hundreds of feet of culvert. Additionally, the town plans to use this opportunity to install conduit for fiber optic cable. According to Levine, the project is in the preliminary planning stages, will likely begin in the fall of 2020, and must be completed no later than 2023. Levine says to expect something similar to the new crosswalks that have been installed in Gunnison in the fall of 2019. Once the grant money is received, Town of Lake City Engineer Joanne Fagan will work with her team to engineer the plans for the project, and then it will be officially sent out to bid. The grant from GVTPR is in the amount of $858,062 and there will require a match of $214,000 for a total project cost of $1,0725.78. The source of the Town’s matching funds is as yet unknown. Levine says that possibilities include Region 10 or the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), and that if need be, the town will secure the funding elsewhere. “It’s something that needs to be done,” said Levine, “In terms of both safety and accessibility. It will replace a good deal of failing boardwalk and provide a connection between downtown to the courthouse.”