The kickoff meeting for Elizabeth’s Main Street Streetscape program, an ongoing effort to revitalize the downtown area, will be open to the public at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 10 in Elizabeth Town Hall, 151 S. Banner St.
In what is described as a “pre-design” meeting, the March 10 discussion will introduce the design process for the Streetscape project, which the town says “will involve field work, coordination with Main Street residents and businesses, and the creation of engineering and design plans. Design options, cost estimates, construction schedule, and phasing will be explored.”
The town is seeking a Revitalizing Main Streets grant through the Colorado Department of Transportation to help pay for the project.
Streetscape project construction is expected to begin next year, with money from town funding and grants. Upgrades will include “bulbouts” at intersections — rounded corners that will extend into the roadway, reducing pedestrian walkway distance by more than half and increasing safety.
Planned improvements also include a continuous six-foot walkway, angled 40-degree parking, and “amenity zones” five and a half feet wide. The amenity zones will include benches, improved lighting, planters and trees.
“The Main Street Streetscape project has the potential to create a safe, walkable, and attractive corridor which will better serve residents, visitors and business owners alike,” town planner and project manager Zach Higgins wrote to the Elbert County News last month. “The project could make Main Street more accessible and vibrant for generations to come.”
The March 10 meeting is the first of three scheduled to present information about the Streetscape project to the public. The town’s online schedule shows the second and third meetings with undetermined dates in July and October.
The town urges anyone who cannot attend a meeting but has questions about the project to contact Higgins at zhiggins@townofelizabeth.org or 303-725-7496.
The town’s announcement of the March 10 meeting can be found online at tinyurl.com/streetscape-launch.