Downtown street improvements costs rise by $10 million

The estimated cost of proposed improvements to downtown’s Broughton Street are almost $10 million more than initially anticipated.

Staff informed the Savannah City Council on Tuesday that the first and most expensive of three options, which included a brick street “festival zone” and compass rose street feature between Whitaker and Drayton streets, would cost about $17 million.

“That’s the Mercedes Benz or Cadillac of what we’re looking at,” said Bridget Lidy, Savannah's director of planning and urban design

The estimated cost is about $3 million more than what the city had initially proposed spending on the downtown streetscaping initiative, which was also to include improvements to Bay and River streets.

As a result, the mayor and aldermen directed staff to hold off on moving forward with $3.6 million in improvements to Bay, which included extended pedestrian improvements on the road’s north side, so that those funds could be directed to Broughton. Another $250,000 is still expected to go towards River Street improvements, which include upgrading the electrical system in Rousakis Plaza and pursuing restroom facilities on east end of the riverfront.

Bonds to help

To facilitate the improvements, the Savannah City Council on Tuesday approved the issuance of the final $2 million of $14 million in bonds that were originally approved to fund the project. The council also approved a contract amendment with EDSA for potential design revisions not to exceed $86,256. The funds would only be spent if the council decides to make alterations to the streetscape plans.

About $12 million is now available for the project after about $2 million was spent on designing the corridor improvements, according to city officials.

Two less costly options for Broughton Street were also presented to the council for consideration. One brought costs down to about $11 million by eliminating features such as the festival zone, while retaining some improvements such as brick-lined sidewalks and compass rose. The third option brought costs down to $7.6 million by eliminating the brick sidewalks, tabby crosswalks, compass rose and proposed lighting fixtures.

The council directed staff to move forward with requesting proposals from contractors for the first option so they could obtain the actual cost of the improvements. Mayor Eddie DeLoach said the design was completed using public input gathered during multiple meetings and he did not want to “pick it apart like a sore” by cutting out various features, but they could possibly “value engineer” the project to bring it within budget if necessary.

“In reality, if I couldn’t do it right, I wouldn’t do it,” DeLoach said.

Other projects in need

City Manager Rob Hernandez said an additional $5 million in bonds would likely need to be issued in order to cover the costs of the Broughton improvements, while warning the council that a number of other city projects also need funding. Those included a new Hudson Hill community center after the existing center was shut down and found to be structurally unsound. In addition, there is not enough funding for the planned replacement of the Grant Center in West Savannah. Hernandez suggested possibly combining the projects, which would serve the two neighboring communities, but he anticipated another $6 million would still be needed on top of the $2 million already available for the Grant Center.

Savannah Alderman Van Johnson said the city would be meeting with residents to see what they think of the combining the projects or potential alternative options. Johnson had recently pledged to find funding for the Hudson Hill center’s repair and expansion upon learning the funding was not included on the 2013 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax ballot after he had promised it to residents of the community.

“With all the bonds we have been approving throughout the city and downtown, it’s time for some of that bond money to come on the westside,” he said Tuesday. “I’m confident that our city will do the right thing, our council will do the right thing, and we will make up those funds.”

Also, the state has offered to pay 70 percent of the costs to widen Benton Boulevard to accommodate increased traffic from the planned Effingham Parkway and extension of Benton to GA 30. The city would still have to come up with about $4 million for the project, however, Hernandez said.

Alcohol sales start earlier

In other actions, the council amended the alcoholic beverage ordinance to allow restaurants to sell alcohol starting at 11 a.m. on Sundays, as opposed to 12:30 p.m. Voters during the Nov. 6 election approved a referendum calling for the change. The amendment went into effect immediately after the council’s approval.

“It’s a big deal if you like mimosas,” DeLoach said upon signing the ordinance.