Half of the $5 million in bonds issued for a proposed community center in Galesburg have been diverted to fund street repairs.
The city council voted 5-2 on Nov. 6 to amend the general obligation bonds that were issued in March, following a 4-3 vote by the previous council in January to issue them.
Here’s how the funds will now be distributed:
- $2.5 million for a community center
- $550,000 for storm sewer and street construction on Irwin Street
- $1,950,000 for asphalt resurfacing projects
The asphalt resurfacing projects are spread out across multiple wards and the majority are on the city’s north side, including two subdivisions.
Only one of the projects being funded by the bonds initially intended for a community center is south of Main Street.
Street and sidewalk repair and construction projects in Galesburg are typically funded by local taxes and state and federal funds.
TSPR asked Public Works Director Michael Doi how the streets were selected for resurfacing to be funded by the bond money.
Doi said asphalt streets were prioritized because they are less expensive than brick or concrete.
“Selecting asphalt streets to be resurfaced allowed for more projects and miles of streets to be improved,” Doi said.
City staff looked at the cost of repairs, the average daily traffic counts, and the Pavement Condition Index ranking to come up with a list of eligible streets.
All streets in Galesburg are rated on a three-year cycle.
“The goal was to select streets with a PCI score of Fair or worse in each ward, which would be a score of 69-70 or less out of 100,” Doi said.
Doi said there are streets in each ward with a PCI of 70 or less, so the funds were distributed “somewhat evenly between wards where possible.”
He also said choosing streets in close proximity to each other – with low PCI rankings – is more cost-effective than having them spread out.
The city also considered input and complaints from residents and whether streets were eligible for federal funding.
Doi said there were more streets in need of improvement than there was funding available.
“A list of alternative streets meeting the same criteria as above was developed,” Doi said.
The city council then reviewed the streets and alternatives.
“A final list was developed taking into account the council comments,” Doi said.
The asphalt resurfacing projects include the following:
- Meadow Lark Drive, from Oriole Drive to Bluebird Drive
- Bluebird Drive, from Farnham Street to dead end
- Cardinal Drive, from Oriole Drive to Meadow Lark Drive
- Flamingo Drive, from Farnham Street to Oriole Drive
- Losey Street, from Florence Avenue to Farnham Street
- Losey Street, from Broad Street to Seminary Street
- South Street, from Academy Street to Kellogg Street
- Spruce Avenue, from Bridge Avenue to Hawkinson Avenue
- Bridge Avenue, from Spruce Avenue to dead end
- Castlebury Place, from Lake Storey Road to dead end
- Buckingham Road, from Lake Storey road to dead end
- Canterbury Court, from Winchester Court to cul-de-sac
- Whitehaven Circle to Buckingham Road
- Whitehaven Circle from Buckingham Road
- Buckingham Road, from Whitehaven Circle to dead end
Tri States Public Radio produced this story. TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department please consider making a financial contribution.
