Bradford City is getting closer to seeing more streetscape improvements.
Sara Andrews, executive director of the Bradford Office of Economic and Community Development, held a public hearing Tuesday before the regular city council meeting. It’s the second of two hearings necessary for the city’s application for a competitive Community Development Block Grant.
According to Andrews, streetscape improvements will be made to about 900 linear feet along Jefferson Street and Thompson Avenue.
The sidewalks in those areas “are some of the worst in the neighborhood,” she noted. She added that the part of Jefferson Street that does not have lighting gets “very dark” at night.
The anticipated cost for the Jefferson Street project is about $450,000, and much of it is to be paid for with CDBG funding.
Phase I of the Main Street project is estimated to cost more than $3 million. Funding includes a state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Grant, CDBG funds, an ARC grant, a Multimodal Transportation Fund Grant, liquid fuels money, private donations from the Blaisdell Foundation and in OECD funds.
Phase I construction will tentatively begin in 2019 and Phase II construction in 2020.
Phase I will include a section between Mechanic Street and Festival Way, and Phase II of the project will include a section between Festival Way and High Street.
According to Andrews, the crosswalks will be more visually prominent after the Main Street improvements to increase the safety for the large number of pedestrians downtown. Bike lanes will be added, too.
The trees will be taken out and replaced with three other tree species, but there will be fewer trees, said Andrews.
During its regular meeting, council authorized city officials to submit a competitive Community Development Block Grant application with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for $750,000 to be used for streetscape improvements in the Second Ward Neighborhood Revitalization area and the downtown historic district.
Council also authorized the filing of the Multimodal Transportation Fund Grant of $365,450 to be used for Phase I of Main Street streetscape improvements.
Council opened bids for two projects: a streetscape project on Congress Place, and a resurfacing project.
With a bid of $152,765, Hennard Construction of Derrick City submitted the lowest bid for the Congress Place streetscape project. Hennard was awarded the bid, beating out M and B Services LLC and Bob Cummins Construction.
Council announced its intention to rebid a portion of the project at their last meeting. A prior bid award that was for the whole project was nullified in May when McKean County Judge Christopher Hauser granted an injunction request.
IA Construction Corp. was awarded the resurfacing bid. IA’s bid was lower than that from the only other bidder — Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. — despite IA’s bid being amended by city solicitor Mark Hollenbeck to show a higher cost due to a math error in the bid. The amended bid is $103,723.65.
City officials also authorized the Bradford Area Public Library to submit a Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund Public Library Grant with representatives from the city designated as signatories. If approved for a grant, the library will use it toward remodeling its restrooms.
