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Business owners rejoice as Lebanon finishes downtown work

Business leaders, city officials and representatives from Trend Construction gathered Wednesday, Nov. 4 to celebrate the completion of downtown Lebanon's refurbished streetscape.

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By Justin McClelland, Staff Writer 5:55 PM Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Lebanon celebrated Wednesday the completion of an eight-month refurbishment of the city’s sidewalks and streetscape along Broadway and Mulberry Streets.

“I think it improved the look,” said Marilyn McMurray, owner of McMurray Frames and Gifts in downtown. “I think the construction was a bit painful to go through but everybody made it as pain-free as possible.”

The streetscape project cost $2.3 million and included the replacement of approximately 37,000 square feet of brick paver sidewalks and 3,000 square feet of curb. The project also saw the refurbishment of downtown’s street lights and installation of new benches, planters and trash containers.

“I think it’s a great improvement and quite beautiful,” said Paula Jackson, co-owner of Heritage House Gifts.

The process was originally slated to take nearly 18 months to complete, with a four-month break between September and January. However, the construction progressed so far ahead of schedule that city officials were able to reorganize the construction to be completed in just eight months.

The construction was performed by Trend Construction. Lebanon received a $600,000 grant from the Federal Transportation Enhancement Program to help offset the costs of the project.

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Very nice. I am so proud of the new improvements. So glad to see that curb taken out of the middle of Broadway. I wonder how many people have hit that over the years. Our wonderful Christmas parade will be extra special this year because of the great job that was done. Thank you, city of Lebanon.

liveinthecity
7:46 PM, 11/5/2009

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I guess it's good that Lebanon offers folks a nice place to walk. Since the streets are undriveable, walking must be the recommended mode of travel.

Ed
3:45 PM, 11/5/2009

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I think it's beautiful! During the warmer months, I hope we get flower baskets on the poles instead of the flag-like things. It's nice to know our beautiful town is being taken care of.

cindy
8:05 AM, 11/5/2009

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It looks very nice, though I miss the trees. One suggestion to the city, though: how about not re-installing the parking meters on Broadway and Mulberry? It seems to me that free on-street parking would be a positive factor in drawing shoppers and tourists downtown. I don't know how much revenue the city nets from the meters, but it might be worth consideration.

Gene
5:54 AM, 11/5/2009

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I have been away for over 2 years. Nice to see the sidewalks so nice. But, I noticed the same potholes and poor street repair as there was before I left. In fact, most of the streets I traveled on during my visit appeared to be in the same state of repair. Guess that the sidewalks are more important than the streets. If there were as many people walking on the pretty sidewalks as drive on the city streets, then maybe it would be worth it. I doubt that is the case!

Gary
8:58 PM, 11/4/2009

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