DELAND — Georgia Avenue is ready to go under the knife.
Work on the long-awaited downtown facelift will start in January with the contractor’s materials and equipment being delivered within the first week of the new year to a staging area at the southeast corner of Howry and Clara avenues and the City Hall parking lot, city spokesman Chris Graham said.
The City Commission in August awarded the contract for the project to the Orlando-based Gomez Construction Company for $548,494.
As part of the streetscape project, Georgia Avenue’s cracked pavement will be removed and replaced with concrete pavers, and the sidewalk, which also will be removed and replaced, will have bands of the decorative pavers. There also will be removable bollards and some landscaping.
Duke Energy will install new streetlights with decorative polls, and when the project is complete, the city will provide new trash receptacles, Graham said.
A couple of the area business owners are especially looking forward to an improved stormwater system.
When a significant amount of rain fell during a short period one day in July, a storage area at the corner of Georgia and Florida avenues flooded. Robbie Carelli, who co-owns Persimmon Hollow Brewing Co. and Neighbors Artisan Taqueria, lost what he called “support materials.”
Carelli said street beautification can influence a person's feelings about a business whether they realize it or not, so if the completed project brings new faces to the area, or new customers to the brewery, that'll be a bonus.
"If anything, [the new street] will be safer for our regular guests," Carelli said.
That extensive rainfall also seeped into Trilogy Coffee Roasting Co., owned by Michelle and Clay Cass.
To avoid future problems and enhance an area that has seen a renaissance of foot traffic heading to restaurants, bars and shops, the city has taken on a a project that will be done in four phases. The job is expected to take three to four months, Graham said. During construction, the city’s project representative, will be on site part of each workday to answer questions, and CPH Engineering Inc., the project designer, will conduct periodic inspections throughout the project’s construction.
Here's what to expect:
• First phase: New stormwater pipeline will be constructed from the west side of Florida Avenue, running east to a point about two-thirds of the way up Georgia Avenue toward Woodland Boulevard. New drainage inlets will be installed. Florida Avenue will be closed at Georgia Avenue for about two days. Detour signage and barricades will be provided. Pipeline installation in Georgia Avenue will take several weeks. Georgia Avenue will be partially closed with traffic directed westbound only, and local access provided as necessary. Pipe excavation will be backfilled nightly.
• Second phase: Sidewalks and remaining pavement on north half of Georgia Avenue will be removed and reconstructed with pedestrian access to businesses maintained on the south side of the street with temporary crossings to businesses on the north side.
• Third phase: Work on south half of street will begin. Essential vehicular traffic will be permitted to travel west only, and pedestrian access to businesses will be maintained on the north side of the street.
• Fourth phase: Final base course and pavers will be installed.