The City of Williams hosted two stakeholder meetings last week to determine how E Street might look in the future.
Hosted by Bennett Engineering Services and the City of Williams, the purpose of the meetings was to gain public input before applying for state funding to help pay for road improvements downtown.
“Feedback from the community is very important,” said Lucy Cardenas, Ben/En’s grants manager.
The city has hosted a number of public meetings since 2014 regarding downtown revitalization. Road improvements, especially along E Street, remain at the top of the list, city officials said.
City Manager Frank Kennedy said the city engineer provided multiple design options that show what kind of improvements to E Street might be desired by the public, including parking, turning lanes, bike paths, curbs and gutters, lighting, and pedestrian walkways, from downtown to Niagara.
Kennedy said the city would need to secure funding from a number of sources, in addition to the grant the city has already received to replace the water and sewer lines.
“We’re going to have that road dug up anyway,” Kennedy said. “Why not do something good with it instead of just restoring the trenches.”
The city is applying for a grant from the Active Transportation Program, created in 2017 by Senate Bill 99 to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation, such as walking and biking, which would be the primary source of funds, if awarded.
The project, however, is very expensive – and the grant is very competitive, Kennedy said. The city is also considering a ballot measure to ask voters to increase the local sales tax by .5 percent, or a “half-cent” on the dollar.
Since its inception, the Active Transportation Program has funded over 800 active transportation projects across the state, benefiting both urban and rural areas. More than 400 of the funded projects were Safe Routes to Schools projects and programs that encourage a healthy and active lifestyle throughout the lives of students.
In addition, every funding cycle has seen more than 85 percent of funds going towards projects that benefit disadvantaged communities.
E street is the primary access to Williams Elementary School.
“It’s heavily traveled and a congested area of town,” Kennedy said.
The city is also looking to reconstruct D Street, between 10th and 11th streets, which leads to the City Pool, possibly using general funds.
Cardenas said Williams residents – or people who work or own a business in Williams – are encouraged to answer a survey to provide input prior to the grant application.
The survey can be accessed on the city’s website at cityofwilliams.org.
The survey asks about the public’s desire for sidewalks, shade trees, parking, lighting, bike paths, pedestrian crossings, and whether at least one “roundabout” should be installed to improve traffic flow.
“It would be a lot safer and calm the traffic,” Cardenas said.
Cardenas said one of the major benefits of the E Street improvement project is to make the downtown, including the post office, more accessible to people on foot.
“This is healthier for you,” she said. “You wouldn’t have to get in your car and go downtown. It would be a lot easier.”
Williams officials will continue to seek public input about the proposed E Street project prior to the grant application.
The public is invited to see the renderings between 11 AM and 3 PM in February at the Williams Flea Market, when the dates are determined, Cardenas said. ■