Priest River revitalization moves forward

PRIEST RIVER — The downtown revitalization plan here is closer to fruition after a productive special meeting of the city council Oct. 9. Matt Gillis of Welch Comer Engineers and Dell Hatch of Bernardo Willis Architects came seeking clarity on the design, which Gillis said was an attempt to take the council’s previous instructions and put it on paper as an acceptable concept design.

The plan centers on the downtown area stretching between U.S. Highway 2 and Montgomery from north to south, and Cedar to Wisconsin from east to west. It focuses on putting colorful foliage at the intersection of Main Street and High Street, and expanding the sidewalks and parking areas along the roads.

Gillis said the design team was looking into costs to bury utility lines crossing High St. from Frontier’s building in Priest River.

“It’s vital to the project” said Mayor Jim Martin, “to get those lines out of there.”

If burying those lines is cost-prohibitive and funding for it cannot be found, Gillis said he’d encourage Frontier to reroute the lines. The lines aren’t servicing customers there, but simply because they’re en route to another place. Every pole and line in place is in conflict with trees and walking space, said Gillis.

Additional parking in a city-owned lot south of High St. would more than make up for the addition of walking space, said Gillis. The lot could be paved and include 10-15 parking spaces.

Trees will be planted in bulbs near intersections, said Gillis. The bulbs shorten crosswalks and delineate clear areas for parking. The downside is added difficulty for plowing, but they’re typical in downtowns, Gillis added. Martin said the bulbs aesthetically frame the downtown section of Priest River.

The trees would not be placed on the street corners in order to visually open up space for the historic buildings downtown, and to invite people into the downtown park. Tree species have not been chosen yet, but would be chosen with a view to protecting awning space for businesses, deep root systems, foliage colors, and would not be fruit-bearing, added Gillis. They would be placed at the head or tail end of parking stalls in order to not obstruct car doors.

The crosswalks may be colored to enhance their appearance. Clay brick pavers have a strong pounds per square inch strength and don’t fade, said Hatch. Concrete unit pavers provide similar benefits and are a little less expensive, he explained.

Lights have not yet been positioned but they would be located in a way to accentuate the character of the project, said Hatch. Most of them would be placed to highlight the intersection.

Engineers discussed placing hanging baskets on light poles along the affected streets. There would be opportunities for bench seating, bike racks, trash receptacles, and more.

Martin said the planters look great but maintenance and snow removal would be a nightmare. If there’s an opportunity to use movable stuff that could be taken out in the winter, that would be better, he said. “In years down the road people are going to scream at us because of the maintenance issues,” he said. Pavers in the roadway become projectiles for snow plows. Concrete may be a better option. We have to consider the cost now but also the maintenance expense five to ten years from now, said Martin.

Council member Greg Edwards said he too liked the clay pavers but didn’t know if they were a good idea for the street. Over time studded tires wear down concrete pavers so the pavers will look mottled. Stained concrete would not work longer than half a season, said Hatch.

Council member Gary Stewart asked the engineers if the patterns used in the design would be carbon copies of those in other cities. “I don’t want to be walking through Coeur d’Alene and say ‘we have that same one.’”

Chamber of Commerce President Barbara Kraber asked about parallel parking on the west end of High St. Gillis said there would be a few spots there, and the sidewalks there would be about seven feet wide on the south side and 11 feet wide on the north side. They would bump out almost eight more feet closer to the intersection. Two-thirds of the parking on the south side was removed from the initial design concept because it created a big jog in the road, said Martin.

The downtown revitalization plan’s budget has yet to be determined, Gillis noted. Gillis said one of the engineers’ goals would be to do a detailed cost estimate utilizing the instructions of the council. Sherri Wastweet, grant programs administrator with the Panhandle Area Council, suggested contacting Idaho Housing and Finance regarding funding to help with ADA improvements in sidewalks and approaches leading into buildings.

Wastweet said handicapped parking would need to go in parking lots.

Council members indicated that they’re on board with the overall concept. “I can’t wait to see it done,” said Martin.