If all goes as presented, within three years, Rhinelander's downtown will have a new look that promoters hope will last for half of a century.
Months of planning and public meetings ended last night with a final presentation to the public and city council about Rhinelander's Streetscape project.
The project will be roughly from the Wisconsin River on the west to Stevens Street on the east and Frederick street to the north. It would redesign the above-ground appearance of the downtown after the city does a major reconstruction of the below ground infrastructure.
The city's portion is expected to be in the $6 million dollar range while the above ground portion would be about $130,000 per block with about half of that cost being pavement.
The downtown would have a modern appearance with wider sidewalks, gathering areas, and pedestrian and bike access.
Suzanne Vincent from the firm Vierbicher says a thorny issue of how to configure parking on Brown street was addressed with a compromise...
"......we're looking at reconfiguring the street. We're looking at keeping it as flexible as possible. In the short term we're thinking of providing angle parking on one side like it is now. And parallel parking on the other, which is where we get the extra 10 feet on the sidewalk..."
The Streetscape idea was brought about the Downtown Rhinelander, Inc. Director Maggie Steffen likes the plans..
"....I think overall the council, now that they have the full understanding, like anyone when they find how the decisions, why things are being done the way they're being done, I think they get it and things are positive.."
Preliminary work will happen over the next several months, but the main construction is not expected to begin until 2016, with completion expected in 2017. The full plan is on the website rhinelanderstreetscape.com
