Neighborhoods around Springfield will soon see new safety features and additional improvements as the Neighborhood Works+ program expansion gets started with a slate of new projects.
The Neighborhood Works+ program is an expanded version of the existing Neighborhood Works program. The expansion was made possible when up to $5 million of the 1/2-cent portion of the Spring Forward SGF sales tax revenues were allocated for neighborhood improvements to be used over a two-year period. On Tuesday, Aug. 31, city staff presented to Springfield City Council the projects identified for this $5 million investment.
Prior to the additional funding, the program historically operated with a $100,000 cap per project and a total budget of about $1.5 million or less
over a five-year period, funded through the 1/4-cent Capital Improvement Sales Tax, according to previous News-Leader reporting. The goal of the program is to focus on projects that improve traffic calming, pedestrian safety, sidewalk connections, drainage, landscaping and beautification.
"We were asked to do about five times as much work in about 25% of the time we typically do (with) Neighborhood Works," said Brett Foster, assistant director of Public Works.
Springfield residents were able to submit project ideas at the start of the year, which resulted in more than 560 submissions. Since then, the feedback collected has been assembled, vetted and field reviewed by city staff, who grouped them into about 160 project concepts. Neighborhood associations were then invited to participate in zone workshops to learn about the possibilities and provide feedback. A subcommittee of the Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) also reviewed project ideas and established scoring criteria based on readiness, feasibility and community value.
Dane Seiler, the project manager hired on for Neighborhood Works+ with Traffic Engineering Consultants Inc., said the 160 project ideas identified totaled $72.2 million in needs. With current funding at $5 million, that leaves 95% of those projects unfunded. Foster said he anticipates additional rounds of funding for the program in the future and noted that the annual 1/4-cent sales tax funding could help fund some of these unfunded priorities.
Traffic safety and calming were among the most common ideas city staff saw, with 38% of the 560 ideas regarding those topics. Another 21% pertained to sidewalks.
Out of the 160 projects, Seiler said roughly a third were identified as ready for construction. With $5 million available, 30 projects are set to move forward. Out of these recommendations, most of the funding will be going to traffic and sidewalk improvement efforts.
What projects were selected
Two efforts identified through the process are citywide — tree plantings and quality of place improvements. Seiler said the NAC sub-committee is still reviewing and defining exact projects for quality of place improvements. He noted that the projects recommended include work in 22 neighborhoods. A large portion of these projects, Seiler said, focus on improvements around community assets, such as schools and parks.
Bissett/Heart of the Westside
- Traffic calming and pedestrian enhancements on Calhoun Street from West Avenue to Hutchinson Avenue - $404,000
Bradford Park
- Addition of sidewalk on Delaware Avenue - $66,000
- Addition of sidewalk on Hanover Street - $324,000
Brentwood
- Pedestrian enhancements at the Schweitzer Brentwood Branch Library on Seminole Street at Brentwood Boulevard - $40,000
Delaware
- Traffic calming and pedestrian enhancements on Portland Street from National Avenue to Glenstone Avenue - $94,000
- Raised intersection in coordination with a stormwater project on Delaware Avenue from Portland Street to Bennett Street - $57,000
Doling
- Addition of sidewalk on one side of the road, connecting Kearney Street crossing to Doling Park on Robberson Avenue from Kearney to Talmage Street - $129,000
- Traffic calming and pedestrian enhancements on Fremont Avenue at Fremont Elementary - $73,000
Fassnight
- Traffic calming and pedestrian enhancements on Portland Street from Grant Avenue to Fort Avenue - $282,000
- Addition of sidewalk on Bennett Street from Fort to Kansas Expressway - $513,000
Galloway
- Addition of sidewalk on Elmview Avenue at Gasconade Street - $35,000
Greater Parkcrest
- Traffic calming and pedestrian enhancements at various locations within the neighborhood - $292,000
Mark Twain
- Traffic calming, stormwater improvements and pedestrian enhancements on Weaver Avenue from Edgewood Street to Sunset Street - $318,000
Meador Park
- Pedestrian enhancements on Fremont Avenue - $115,000
Midtown
- Traffic calming and pedestrian enhancements on Benton Avenue from Division Street to Central Street - $251,000
- Traffic calming and pedestrian enhancements on Jefferson Avenue at Lynn Street - $202,000
Phelps Grove
- Sidewalk/trail expansion on Bennett Street at Kimbrough Avenue - $37,000
- Pedestrian enhancements on Bennett at Virginia Avenue - $19,000
Robberson
- Sidewalk enhancements on Dale Street from Glenstone Avenue to Kentwood Avenue - $49,000
Rountree
- Pedestrian enhancements on Weller Avenue at Grand Street - $19,000
Seminole/Holland
- Addition of sidewalk on Glenwood Street from Campbell Avenue to Holland Avenue - $114,000
Tom Watkins
- Addition of sidewalk and preparation for future extension south on Golden Avenue from High Street to Kearney Street - $165,000
University Heights
- Traffic calming at various locations within the neighborhood - $145,000
Weller
- Traffic calming and pedestrian enhancements on Weller Avenue at Blaine Street - $75,000
- Traffic calming and pedestrian enhancements on Blaine Street from Weller Avenue to Glenstone Avenue - $94,000
West Central
- Traffic calming and pedestrian enhancements on Fort Avenue from Grand Street to Mt. Vernon Street - $167,000
Woodland Heights
- Sidewalk updates in various locations within the neighborhood - $49,000
- Request for athletic improvements to the field at Reed Academy - $200,000
What happens next
Final recommendations are expected to be presented to the Citizens' Advisory Board, which oversees uses of the SPRING Forward SGF sales tax, this fall, according to a city news release. The board has not met in several months after the board's makeup was found to violate the Springfield City Charter. Since then, the council has adjusted the board to comply with charter requirements and appointed new members. A meeting date for the reconfigured board has not yet been set.
After a recommendation from the CAB, the projects would head back to council for a formal hearing and final vote.
A number of approved projects are expected to begin construction this fall. Seiler said some projects, like those near schools, are likely to hold off until the summer to better match activity schedules.
Since resident engagement took place early this year, Springfield has gained a new neighborhood association — the Young-Lilley Neighborhood Association. With any possible future funding, Seiler said the project team would like to engage any new neighborhoods as well as areas that do not have formal neighborhood associations, as a handful of projects identified landed in these spots.
Marta Mieze covers local government at the News-Leader. Have feedback, tips or story ideas? Contact her at mmieze@news-leader.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Neighborhood Works+ narrows down Springfield improvement projects
