Group awarded $945,000 to help with downtown revitalization efforts
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The following is a news release from the Downtown Development Corporation.
IDAHO FALLS – The Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation is awarded $945,000 by the Idaho Falls Redevelopment Agency for downtown projects, including street improvements and parking technology. Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation exists to promote and care for the downtown area by promoting and advocating the downtown consistently.
“This funding will maintain the great momentum we have downtown with the development at The Broadway, the renovation of The Bonneville Hotel and many other renovations taking place in the core of downtown Idaho Falls,” said Catherine Smith, executive director of Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation. “We are excited to take the lead in beautification efforts that will certainly result in lasting change. The downtown has seen significant growth in the last 18 months and we are thrilled to be part of the efforts both as a catalyst for this growth and grateful recipient of the downtown experience.”
The funds will be used for three distinct projects downtown.
The first project will be the Broadway streetscape from Memorial Drive to Yellowstone Highway running east to west. The entire stretch will be addressed with all new curb and gutter, sidewalks, trees, and planter pots. A drip irrigation line will be installed as well. This will reduce the number of labor hours spent to hand-water the vegetation and flowers along Broadway during the growing season.
The second project will be to address the broken and crumbling planter boxes found throughout downtown at each intersection. The planter boxes are estimated to have been installed in the 1970s with trees planted within the concrete boxes. Over the years the boxes have deteriorated as the roots of the large trees have been constricted to the concrete walls along with harsh weather conditions of cold and hot. The boxes are a mixture of aggregate rock and brick. Funds will be spent to replicate the design established downtown that includes pavers with the appropriate trees for the urban landscape. This project also includes new curb, gutter, and sidewalks. This design will allow the trees to grow in a healthy setting in soil in the ground. The beautification efforts to be managed in pots with planter foliage and flowers that hold a special reservoir of water. This will in turn reduce the costs for labor. The design will be consistent throughout downtown and tie into the Broadway streetscape, so the area is very complimentary and aesthetically pleasing.
The third project will include the purchase of parking meters to be installed in off-street-parking lots currently managed by Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation. With adding technology to the off-street-parking lots, the parking customers will have a similar experience to pay-to-park in the core of downtown that is found in larger cities. This will allow the processing of credit cards as well as servicing the validation program for downtown restaurants, bars, and merchants that Idaho Falls Downtown Development offers for off-street-parking patrons.
The Idaho Falls Redevelopment Agency has been a catalyst for change throughout the downtown area with smart investing and projects that have flourished. Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corporation is pleased to be poised and ready to continue the good work and intent to revitalize and support the downtown area.