A downtown renewal project in Kewanee that had been scheduled to begin late this summer has been put off until next year.
The project, which will remove the mid-1970s curb extensions and make downtown sidewalks more handicapped-accessible, was to have begun this month.
Shane Larson said the decision was made to put off the beginning of the work until next spring, with the hope of finishing the project in 2026.
Larson is the senior vice president for Hutchison Engineering, the firm that is designing and overseeing the downtown project.
“We didn’t want to have to stop (this fall) when we couldn’t get concrete poured,” Larson said.
The postponement will enable the engineers to seek bids on the work from contractors during the winter.
The city received a $3 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the project. If the cost goes beyond that amount, the city will pay the difference, Larson said.
The project will be carried out in the 100 and 200 blocks of North Main Street, the 100 block of West Second Street and the 200 block of North Tremont Street. Larson said that once this project is finished, the city will be able to seek more state funding to upgrade more of the downtown blocks.
If the first project is completed successfully, he said, the chances of obtaining that additional state money will be improved.
The work will include lowering sidewalks, with the aim of making it so that “somebody in a wheelchair will be able to get into all the buildings,” Larson said.
