Downtown's entrances will see major improvements this winter.

City Commissioners approved two big beautification projects, with a combined $261,400 price tag, during a meeting at City Hall on Thursday.

One project will expand parking areas at the eastern entrance of downtown. The other will add palm tree landscaping and a pedestrian promenade that visually unites the Municipal Marina with Main Street.

Downtown Parking Lots To See Improvements

The city is doling out $81,999 for improvements to two parking areas and an alley near Highland Avenue and Wood Street.

Joan Rice, city transportation and traffic engineer, said the project includes:

• Resurfacing the parking lot on the west side of Highland Avenue and the lot to the north of Wood Street (behind Dunedin Smokehouse and The Living Room). 
• Reconstructing the alley to the north, which provides rear access to businesses and residences fronting Main Street and Wood Street.

The existing asphalt parking lot will be milled and resurfaced with pervious concrete, and also expanded to include an acquired parking area to the west. 

It is slated for completion in February 2013. Landscaping and Progress Energy interior lighting will be installed afterward.

The surface of the alley, a mix of broken asphalt and base materials, will be removed and replaced with washed shell also chosen for its pervious quality, Rice explained.

Kloote Contracting, Inc., of Palm Harbor is leading the project.

Pedestrian Promenade to Unite Marina Waterfront, Main Street

City officials agreed on a $179,410 promenade that will tie the west side of Main Street end to the marina waterfront.

The work includes constructing:

• An 8-foot-wide sidewalk that runs along the north side of Main Street between Victoria Drive and the first driveway on Broadway, and
• A 172-foot sitting wall along the western part of sidewalk. It would be within an easement provided by property owners at 200 Main Street.

Large palm trees will also be planted along the Main Street and Edgewater corridor to visually connect downtown with the marina, said Bob Ironsmith, director of economic development.

Irrigation, landscaping and lighting around an existing flagpole is also planned at the northwest corner of Main Street and Broadway, where Peebles & Gracy is situated. The area is considered a window to downtown and the marina, Ironsmith said.

The project is slated for completion in April 2013.

Stamper Construction of Tarpon Springs is leading the project.

Related Coverage:

• County Approves Millions for Downtown Development
• Marina Needs Pump Station for Boat Waste, Officials Say
• Parking Stalls Officials On Marina Waterfront Plan