Mt. Pulaski officials and citizens hear update on Historic Courthouse Square Streetscape Improvements plans

 

[April 18, 2024] 

On Monday, April 15th, a meeting was held at Mt. Pulaski’s City Hall regarding a plan to rework the Courthouse Square. This, the third such meeting, was attended by many members of the community.

The purveyors of the proposed improvements, Massie Massie and Associates (MMA) welcomed all community members to this meeting and the previous two, those having been held back in December and February. Those in attendance were encouraged to provide feedback on the plans so MMA could make redesigns that would more closely fit the needs of the Mt. Pulaski community. The current plan was drafted with much input from the Mt. Pulaski citizens and with consideration for their comments.

The meeting began with two men from MMA, Kent Massie and Neil Brumleve, going over the basics of the project, including its goals. Those goals include things such as making the Courthouse Square safer and more accessible for people of different levels of ability, encouraging business development, and further promoting the Courthouse Square as a community space.

Massie and Brumleve then went over the major changes that had been made to the plans since February’s meeting. These included, but were not limited to, clearing up confusion for motorists visiting Mt. Pulaski by adding 4-way stops to all intersections, and keeping the current two-way circulation model.

What followed was a lengthy discussion about the aerial map of the Courthouse Square, where community members voiced additional ideas and concerns about the current plan. One person in the attendance suggested that, instead of changing the north-end parking to angled parking spots, the current parallel parking spots be kept. This, he argued, could be helpful to anyone with a trailer looking to unload. Others in attendance agreed with this, stating that this is very common on the Courthouse Square. They continued, saying that people with trailers will likely just park parallel across the slanted spots if the parallel parking spots are removed. Massie and Brumleve were receptive to this comment, making note of it.

Brumleve shared that crosswalks around the Mt. Pulaski Courthouse square had been moved to the mid points of each block, stating that this would be safer. It would provide drivers with a clearer view of the crosswalks than if they were at the intersections. This is where another popular suggestion came in, with another community member discussing the height of these “bump-outs.” She shared that during winter seasons, this could be an issue for snowplows seeing as how the corner of their blade could get caught on the raised section of crosswalk that comes out into the road just a bit in the current model, as can be seen in the image.  After more discussion, it was decided that the best way to address this would be to make these “bump-outs” flush with the road but use a different color of material to help it stand out. Again, Massie and Brumleve made note of these suggestions for future renditions of the current plan.

Some other things of note that were discussed were the number of parking spaces. Under the current plan, the 111 parking spaces would stay, but the Courthouse Square would gain 16 golf cart parking spaces. The parking spaces on the interior and exterior of the square would be put on a slight incline, and a drainage grate added to where the spaces meet the road. With this design, rainwater would run down the parking spaces and into the drain, away from the square. Replacing the retaining wall around the courthouse itself was also discussed briefly.

Massie and Brumleve let everyone know that MMA was going to work on accomplishing some things before the next meeting. First, they are going to take all the comments and suggestions they received to make a final streetscape plan. Next, they are going to take the two sketches, one of which can be seen above, and refine them. These can then be used for promotional material either to show the public the plans for renovation, or even when applying for grants. They are then going to help Mt. Pulaski identify some grant opportunities to help fund this project. Finally, they are going to submit the final project with an estimate of the total cost. The meeting was then adjourned.

[Matt Bouthcher with slides provided by city of Mt. Pulaski]