By Devon Turchan, The News-Herald

Plans originally unveiled in 2010 have leaped from renderings and can be seen in person on Main Street in Painesville.
Wider sidewalks, traditional-looking lamp posts and benches are noticeable differences on the Lake County Job and Family Services side — the north side — of the street.  The flower gardens are left to the imagination until next spring.  

Painesville City Manager Tony Carson said the project is behind even the most recent time line (which was put off to this summer upon receiving higher-than-expected bids.) Although Carson said the engineering department is keeping a close eye on the daily progression of the construction team, some obstacles are unexpected and tough to avoid.

“The merchants side has been taking a little bit longer than we had hoped,” he said of the south side of the street that has a traditional main street commercial feel. “When you have roads that haven’t been opened up for 50 (or) 60 years, these are the problems you run into. The contractors have done a very good job in being able to mitigate the obstacles they run into but unfortunately that adds on days to the project.”

Restaurants and other businesses on the south side of the street are dealing with complicated, limited access during the project.
The $1,292,000 Streetscape plan is aimed at beautification that will include narrowing Main Street, planting trees along the sidewalks and adding benches and decorative crosswalks between State and St. Clair streets.

Carson said the city plans to extend the work west of St. Clair Street on Main Street to extend it to the main square and Veterans park.
He said he fields questions about putting the Streetscape money toward fixing potholes.

“This is a whole separate set of money,” he said. “This is a grant we’ve received from the State of Ohio and other agencies so this wasn’t money that would have been redirected toward street repairs.”

In a separate action, Laketran planned an improvement project to one its most frequently used hubs.
Trustees in July approved a three-shelter transfer station across the street from what is currently a one-shelter stop on St. Clair Street near Main Street in Painesville, on which they said they communicated with Painesville to create a cohesive look.  The construction — including pavement, shelter construction and landscaping — will cost $287,752 and is 80 percent funded with federal money. Platform Cement Inc. of Mentor was awarded that low bid. The local match works out to $57,550.

“Laketran’s construction team (CT Consultants and Platform Cement, Inc.) met with city officials earlier this month to confirm designs that will offer more shade, shelter and better accessibility for pedestrians, wheelchairs and baby strollers,” Laketran representative Julia Schick said in an email Aug. 25. “Laketran hopes to have new transfer center in operation by mid-November.”

The Streetscape plan in general is the brainchild of the city and The Downtown Painesville Organization and is part of a multi-faceted master improvement plan for the city including redevelopment of the former Lake East Hospital into The High Pointe Center.
“I think everybody’s going to be very happy with (the end result,)” Carson said. “And that’s what we’re looking for is a project we can be proud of. That’s what’s going to be happening here in the City of Painesville.”