The Market Street Parking Lot will have a new look within a couple months time.
City of Fulton maintenance crews have been working on the lot to construct a three-foot-wide raised median, which can also be referred to as an island, in the center to replace the parking bumpers. City Engineer Greg Hayes said the bumpers caused issues during snow removal and a median will allow snow crews to more easily push snow around the lot.
"It just wasn't very conducive to our machinery," Hayes said.
Workers have replaced a gas line, which Hayes said was "antiquated." The new line is more modern, he said. Installation of the gas line damaged the sidewalk on the west end of the parking lot and the city will repair it.
The Market Street Parking Lot island project cost the city $26,500. Workers will stamp and stain the concrete for a brick appearance to match downtown esthetic's. Hayes said the project should wrap up in the middle of May, but the lot will undergo more changes soon after as it's included in the city's annual asphalt overlay project. The price to overlay the lot, Hayes said, is about $23,000 of the $426,000 total budgeted for the city asphalt overlays. That budget would have been $50,000 more, but the city council moved that money from the overlay fund to another fund designated for sidewalk improvements.
Hayes said he plans to present a list of streets to include in the overlay project at the next council meeting on Tuesday, April 28. He said the bid will most likely be awarded by the end of May or early June. Those with reserved spaces on the Market Street Parking Lot will need to find parking elsewhere for about two days, Hayes said.
During the island project, people with reserved spots have been re-located to the old library parking lot and the Ravine Street parking lot. Hayes said the city will give those customers a month of credit for the inconvenience."