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08/15/2018 08:30 AMIn an indicator of the length of time Madison’s downtown renovation project has taken, Economic Development Commission (EDC) Chair Ryan Duques made a joke at the Aug. 9 EDC meeting that he doesn’t even ask the town any more about when the poles would come down and the lines buried in the downtown area. While the comment drew some laughs, First Selectman Tom Banisch told the commission that progress is being made at this point.
Phase I of the Downtown Center project, which began in fall 2015, included renovations of the sidewalks and the center median. Additionally, new light poles, tree grates, and bike racks were installed above new underground utilities and irrigation. The town cut a ribbon announcing the completion of this phase in June 2016. At the time, State Representative Noreen Kokoruda (R-101) thanked the state for putting forward $1.85 million of the $2 million needed for the project.
However the project still has a few items left to go including taking down the old telephone poles in the downtown area and burying all of the associated electrical lines. The town has previously said the problem has to do with getting easements from two property owners in the downtown area to remove the poles. Banisch has said one owner is being reasonable and the other, not so much, but there is also an additional issue.
“The power poles are ready to come down when we get all of the other stuff in place,” he said. “The other problem that we have is on the south side of the street. KeyBank has a transformer that is old and in bad shape. Eversource is demanding that be replaced, so we are working with KeyBank right now to get that done.”
Banisch said in terms of timing, these delays mean downtown is going look much like it does right now through the winter.
“We are looking at a timeline that is going to work through these things over the winter, get these things resolved, and get the easements signed,” he said. “I am really confident that over the course of the winter we are going to get all of these things ironed out and in the spring we will finish the rest of the work that needs to be done.”
In other downtown work, Banisch said the town is looking to complete the rehabilitation of the Tuxis Walkway this fall and is still looking at the Bradley Road sidewalks.
“We just the other day agreed with the police that we are going to put up a three-way stop over at Bradley and Wall,” he said. “I don’t know if you guys travel that stop very much, but I am there every day and it’s horrible…We are going to have a company come in and design the walkways for us on Bradley Road so that we can do whatever we are going to do within our budget there.”
Banisch said he knows these projects and issues have taken a long time to complete or resolve, but progress has been made.
“Things are moving along,” he said. “Never as fast as you or I want them to, but we are getting there.”