WATERLOO -- The good news is, Fourth Street is getting a face lift.

The bad news is, Fourth Street is getting a face lift.

That paradox was posed by Main Street Waterloo executive director Terry Poe Buschkamp as she described the $1.26 million overhaul of East Fourth Street planned this summer. Buschkamp and several downtown-Waterloo stakeholders attended a meeting to discuss the streetscape Wednesday morning at the Waterloo City Council Chambers.

City officials explained how it will be carried out.

The project will span East Fourth Street from Mulberry Street to the Cedar River, including a complete reconstruction of all the streets and sidewalks in that corridor. The city will renovate one block at a time to minimize the impact on customer traffic.

"Normal business patterns will be interrupted, but hopefully those on Fourth Street will understand it needs to be done," said Mayor Tim Hurley.

Each block will take four to six weeks to complete, according to city engineer Eric Thorson. The process will begin in mid-June with the 200 block of Fourth Street, from Sycamore Street to Lafayette Street. Work on the 100 block, from the Cedar River to Sycamore Street, will begin in late July or early August. The final section, from Lafayette Street to Mulberry Street, could begin as early as September.

The city will finance just under $1 million of the project, including $433,000 for street reconstruction, $497,000 for sidewalk replacement and enhancements and $70,000 to line sewers on the 300 block of East Fourth. Funding will come from the local option sales tax. Business owners along the streetscape path will pay $264,000 of the $742,000 cost for sidewalk replacement. The cost to owners will vary depending on square footage.

Business owners would have eventually paid for sidewalk improvements regardless. East Fourth Street acts as a boundary between the city zones that determine the sidewalk replacement schedule. Instead of forcing the owners to endure two or possibly three periods of reconstruction by sticking to the schedule, the city coordinated the sidewalk and road replacement into a single project.

The streetscape is mostly structural. Concrete streets will be torn out and rebuilt. Sidewalks will also be torn out, though real brick could be used as trim or to cover the surface. Landscaping issues have yet to be resolved, but new planters for flowers are a near certainty.

Several business owners questioned city officials about how the project could improve a congested parking situation, but the dimensions of streets and intersections are expected to remain the same. Parking on East Fourth Street will continue to be metered and parallel. However, Hurley hinted the city may find a public-private solution involving the nearby Park Avenue parking garage.

Details on pedestrian access to storefronts during the construction are yet to be determined. However, Main Street Waterloo has set aside money from a grant to explain the streetscape project to the public.

Buschkamp said the organization will use signs, fliers and advertising to let people know how to get to businesses during construction. Buschkamp had several prototypes of possible logos for the campaign, all of which carried an "Extreme Makeover, Main Street Edition," theme. Weekly "coffee meetings" with business owners are also planned to discuss progress and how foot traffic will be directed.

The project is scheduled to begin in mid-June to avoid interrupting downtown events such as My Waterloo Days and the Fourth Street Cruise. Other events are being planned specifically for the streetscape.

Thorson said the bidding process will start in late April, and a contractor could be signed by early May. Craig Ritland Landscape Architecture has been contracted to handle the soft architecture.

Several utility companies will also take advantage of the project to update underground systems. Both Qwest and Mediacom could add conduits, and Mid-American gas and electric will check its systems. Some business owners said a check of electrical systems is overdue, as power surges and brownouts have become more common as the area is redeveloped.

Hurley stressed the importance of working with business owners.

"We don't want to be the big, bully city and just trample through," he said.

While no one wants to see business disturbed in the bustling downtown district, Hurley said, the overhaul is long overdue.

"We are not at a crisis situation, but we are at a place of great opportunity," he said.

Despite concerns, business owners seemed optimistic.

"Twelve years ago it was almost a ghost town down here, so we have good problems," said property owner Chuck Orr. "I want to commend the city on their part in revitalizing the downtown area."

Contact Drew Andersen

at (319) 291-1418 or

drew.andersen@wcfcourier.com.