Stanford tackles two major street projects

STANFORD — Two of Stanford’s ugliest streets are undergoing a complete make-over that will turn them into real beauties by mid-October.
A $350,000 facelift for heavily traveled Logan Avenue will see new sidewalks, landscaping and bike lanes while Mill Street is getting about $200,000 worth of work thanks in part to funding from a local bank.
“These are two big projects for a little town,”¿Mayor Bill Miracle said Wednesday.
The City Council authorized $350,000 in bonds to be sold to pay for the work to Logan Avenue, which connects Main Street with Lancaster Street and is also fed by Miller Street, which connects to U.S. 27.
“This one, for the condition it was in and how much traffic it carries, was the worst street in town,” Miracle said as he surveyed work in progress along Logan Avenue.
Cement trucks loaded with concrete have been rumbling through the neighborhood, pouring new sidewalks and parking lanes on both sides. The street itself will get new asphalt with marked bike lanes, and pockets of landscaping will spruce up the visual appeal, said Don Davis, owner of Hil-Don Construction, which is doing the work.
Dodging heavy equipment and finding parking places amid all the road work is proving to be a headache for residents.
“I get a call about it every day,” Miracle said.
Jessica Foley, who lives on Logan Avenue with her grandmother, Jean Adams, and two young children, said the construction has created some hassles, but the payoff should be worthwhile.
“It’s a mess right now,” Foley said, “but it will be worth it to have new concrete and new sidewalks, yeah.”
Hil-Don bid the project at $279,000, leaving some money left over from the $350,000 bond issue. Miracle said part of the extra money is being spent as part of the city’s contribution to the work on Mill Street.
First Southern National Bank, which owns and is renovating four houses on Mill Street, contributed more than $100,000 to the project.
The city Water and Sewer Department is paying to install new sewer and water lines and storm drainage, and Lincoln County Fiscal Court is covering the expense of paving the street from its road fund.
The project also includes removing several unsightly poles along the street and running all utilities underground.
“It’s going to be a brand new street,” Miracle said.