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 When the Downtown Revitalization Plan was adopted by the city of
Lincoln in 2013, among the items on the “to-do” list was a
reconstruction of the City Parking Lot located adjacent to the
library on Pekin Street. The lot was to be expanded to include the
green space at the corner of Pekin and North Kickapoo.
Bids were taken on the project that would include the newly designed
parking lot plus work to the sewer system that runs underneath the
alley. However, when those bids came back in, they were much higher
than expected. The reason for the elevated cost was pinned on the
uncertainty of what lay beneath the surface in the sewer system.
When that occurred, it was recommended that the city separate the
sewer work from the parking lot construction and bid out the
projects separately.
On the night when this suggestion came to light, business owners
from Tarter Brothers, Mary Todd Hallmark, and MKS Jewelers were on
hand to hear the outcome. The owners participated in the
conversation, saying that their primary concern for that parking lot
was the sewer issues. It was noted that drainage of storm water is
very poor, and poses wintertime hazards for shoppers. There was also
a huge concern for the sewer gas odor that emits from the alleyway
and invades the businesses.
 In addition, there were concerns about the design of the parking
lot, especially regarding a proposed joint collection site for trash
that would be hidden behind a decorative fence. Another issue was
how the design would impact the ability for cargo vehicles to unload
freight at the doors of the various businesses.
In the end, the council decided to move forward with seeking new
bids for the construction of the parking lot only. There were also
plans made for the sewer work to be done separately.
At last week’s Committee of the Whole meeting, the new bids were
announced. The bids came in with a base figure plus three
alternates. City Administrator Clay Johnson suggested that the city
accept the least costly of three bids in the amount of $460,000, and
add to that bid one of the three alternates - $20,000 to upgrade
from asphalt to concrete for the surfacing.
On Tuesday night, Jonie Tibbs was the first to express opposition to
the parking lot on the whole, with the support of Rick Hoefle. Tibbs
said she thought the city was spending money on something that was
not good for the retail businesses and was not needed because it no
longer addressed the sewer issues. Hoefle objected to the city
turning the green space on the corner into parking space. He
suggested that space was at the moment an asset of the city that
could be sold for future development.
In addition, he said that he had surveyed the town, making trips to
the downtown square on several occasions and counting the number of
empty parking spaces. He said there were always at least 30 or more
available spaces for would-be shoppers, and that told him there were
no parking problems in Lincoln. In addition, it was noted that
because of the design of the lot, even with utilizing the green
space, the city was only going to gain three spaces in the lot.
At that time, a representative from Farnsworth Group, the designers
of the lot, said there would be grading of the lot that would
improve the drainage of water run-off, which was a big concern for
the retailers. Tim Ferguson of the city’s waste treatment department
added that there were plans to do slip-lining and manhole
improvement in the alleyway separate from the current bid.
 There were also comments that the Public Library Board is opposed to
the plan. Because a small portion of the lot does belong to the
Library, the board had voted to support the project with $35,000,
but it was reported that it had not been a unanimous vote, and some
board members were opposed to the project altogether.
After several minutes of discussion, the item was placed on the
voting agenda for Monday night.
On Monday night, a motion was made by Todd Mourning and seconded by
Michelle Bauer to award the bid in the amount of $480,000, taking
advantage of the upgrade to concrete.
Mourning opened the discussion, responding to comments made last
week about the library. He said that he had reached out to the
library and had heard that they are in favor of the new parking
area. He said he was also told that when the library board agreed to
the financing of the project all the board members were present save
one, and the vote to approve was unanimous. He noted that he was
told the absent member on that night would have probably voted no.
Hoefle disagreed, saying he was told that the vote was 6-1, so it
was not unanimous. Hoefle went on to say that the business owners
are very much opposed to the parking lot design. They are very
concerned about the ability to off-load freight because the new
design makes it impossible for cargo vehicles to get close to the
back doors.
In addition, they still feel that there is not enough being done to
correct the sewer issues, and they are still concerned about the
need to share a garbage collection site.
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Tibbs said she had talked with business owners and agreed, this is a project
they don’t want to see done. She said they were concerned about the re-route of
the alley and the closure of the east end of the alley, and still feel the city
is not addressing the sewer problems. Tracy Welch added that he too had stopped
in some of the businesses, and noted that the sewer smell inside one store was
deplorable. Ferguson said that the odor inside the building Welch was talking
about was not a city issue, it was a problem on the property owner.
Tibbs said that the city is supposed to be supporting of its downtown
businesses, and she felt the desires of the business owners are being ignored.
The design of the parking lot incorporates a sidewalk area along the back side
of the businesses. It blocks off the east end of the alley and raises the
surface to level in that area. It also creates a specific area for freight
haulers to back up and unload onto the sidewalk area. Hoefle said that the way
the design had been drawn, businesses such as Tarter Brothers who sell and
install furnaces and air conditions would have a very long distance to
hand-truck their freight from the truck to the back door of their business.
The representative from Farnsworth Group was on hand again Monday evening. He
was asked what portion of the current design would address the water drainage
and sewer issues. He responded that the plan included 500 feet of storm sewer as
well as grading of the parking lot to allow water to drain away from the backs
of the stores.
Hoefle asked if that portion of the work could be separated from the rest of the
project and still done. The Farnsworth representative said that there could be
new specifications drawn to address Hoefle’s request, but he added, he didn’t
know without doing the work, what the cost would be.
Welch brought the discussion around to the Downtown Revitalization Plan, saying
that perhaps it was time for the city to take another look at that plan. He
noted that when the plan was originally drawn up, many of the city aldermen now
were not in office to approve the plan. He wondered if when the plan was
written, did the business owners see it and support it?
Jeff Hoinacki said that the city held two, well-attended public meetings. Their
input was sought, and at that time, it did not appear that anyone opposed the
plans.
Steve Parrott commented saying that taking into consideration the
dissatisfaction the city has had with the Pulaski Street project, perhaps it
would be wise to revisit the plan.
City Treasurer Chuck Conzo made one comment saying, “If you have businesses
opposed to closing the alley, why would you do it?”
It was noted that the alleyway was not going to be closed. The plan includes a
one-way alley, where traffic will enter on Pekin Street and exit onto McLean.
The Kickapoo Street end will be closed, and that area will become a walkway. In
addition, there will be parking spaces, probably three, added to the street side
parking area on Kickapoo.
Greg Tarter was in the galley on Monday night, and he repeated many of the same
objections he had in previous meetings. Hoefle asked him how far he would have
to hand move freight from a truck to his business with the new plan. Tarter said
it was quite some distance, and after calculating it, the representative from
Farnsworth said it would be about 50 feet.
Tarter also noted that the community dumpster area was going to block the back
window of his wife’s business, Mary Todd Hallmark. He said he liked that
alleyway and large back window area because he felt it added to the security of
the location. He said city police were able to drive through the alley and see
into his wife’s store, and with this new plan that safety feature will go away.
Tarter concluded by saying that he is not only opposed to the parking lot
project on the whole, but he is also very much opposed to the money the city is
proposing to spend on it.
Hoefle and Welch also expressed that they did not want the green space turned
into a parking lot.
When the item came to a vote, the parking lot project was voted down with a 3-5
vote. Those voting “no” were Tracy Welch, Steve Parrott, Kathy Horn, Jonie Tibbs
and Rick Hoefle. Those who voted “yes” were Michelle Bauer, Jeff Hoinacki and
Todd Mourning.
The city will now need to decide how to move forward, if at all, on repairing
the alleyway, resurfacing the parking lot, and addressing the sewer and water
run-off issues.
[Nila Smith] |
