City closes Fourth Street for two years for construction of library

The Belleville City Council agreed to close off Fourth Street to traffic for two years so construction crews can work on building the new $14 million library project.
At Monday’s regular meeting, the council voted unanimously to close Fourth Street from Main Street to the alley during library construction from May 10 through the spring of 2020.
This portion of Fourth Street will be used for construction traffic and the construction office trailer. The sidewalks will remain open.
Proposed construction parking is scheduled only on the portions of Roys and Charles streets that abut the construction zone.
Matt Ratzow of O’Neal Construction explained that construction will begin the week of May 14 and a fence will be put up at Main Street, with flagmen present when trucks come into the site from Main. He said there will be two-way traffic in the alley from Third Street to the present library site and parking barriers will be taken down to allow handicapped parking next to the present library.
The construction fence will be taken down for the Belleville Area Museum’s planned Rosie the Riveter event from 5 to 9 p.m. on June 9. A convoy of 10-15 vehicles from the Yankee Air Museum is scheduled, along with musical acts for the fund raiser. The fence will be put back in place after this event.
Ratzow also said they would shut down construction activities for Strawberry Festival, as requested by the community.
City Manager Diana Kollmeyer said that the Bayou Grill has not committed to its usual auto show on Main Street for each Monday during the summer, but she believes they will decide to do it because of the pressure from the auto show supporters.
The council also unanimously approved partial vacation of Fourth Street, from Charles Street to the alley, for the library site, along with two quit claim deeds to deed the city parking lot site to the library and deed the large area for the future parking lot to the city and library for joint ownership. Each quit claim deed land transfer was for the token cost of $1.
In other business at the May 7 meeting, the council:
• Accepted with gratitude the Belleville Area Council for the Arts’ gift of the Hands Held High sculpture that has spent the last year next to the Gateway sign near the bridge. BACA purchased the sign and asked the council to decide where it wanted it placed. Suggestions were: Horizon Park, Fourth Street Square near the front arch, and in the Five Points traffic island. After discussion, the council chose Horizon Park for the sculpture’s relocation, noting there is plenty of room at the park for a leased sculpture, as well;
• Voiced concerns that the new website still isn’t up and functioning after eight months. “I’m shocked it’s taking so long,” said Council Jesse Marcotte. “I’m disappointed … and we still don’t have a hard deadline … still talking about photos eight months later … We have no assurance they’ll be done next month.” City Manager Kollmeyer said they chose the cheapest option with a firm out of state and the only communication is by email and phone. “It was not the best idea,” she agreed. Kris Rix has been helping with photos for the website;
• Approved accounts payable of $118,574.54 and the following purchases in excess of $500: To Blue Ribbon Contracting, $4,795 for water main repair; to Jack Doheny Co., $1,730.98 for street sweeper repair; to Wise Technologies, $753.75 for computers/network support; and to Metro Environmental Services, $745 for Vactor Services; and
• Heard Ginger Bruder invite the council to a June 28 ceremony to dedicate the names of the Civil War veterans from the tri-community that died in the war. She said, “They were very young when they went to war.” Their names are being added to the veterans’ monument in Horizon Park.