(Atlantic, Iowa)- The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, reviewed and approved the final plans for the 2025 Downtown Street Improvement Project. City Engineer Dave Sturm updated the Council on the milling and asphalt overlay project, and said the cost estimate of just just $1.8-million City Administrator John Lund had prepared for his Council agenda informational packet, was correct. He also mentioned a project completion timeline.

Sturm said the contractor will have dates which they are not allowed to work – IF the project is not completed beforehand – of events where such work would interfere with those events, like AtlanticFest. He addressed concerns of some business owners, the public and Councilman Gerald Brink, that the street work would be disruptive to the point of being “a disaster” with regard to the process of milling and overlaying the pavement.

It’s a large project, involving 22 blocks of paving. The project includes the following sections of the downtown area in Atlantic, and have been in the City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for many years: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Streets, from Poplar Street to Walnut Street, Chestnut Street, from the Depot Station to 7th Street, and Walnut Street, north of 7th Street.

A public hearing on authorizing the bid letting for the project will be held 5:30-p.m. April 2nd, in the Council’s Chambers inside the Atlantic City Hall. Sturm said the public will receive reasonable notice of when and where the work will begin, to avoid parking issues.

Dave Sturm said the work does NOT include a concrete project for other streets in the City.

Both the asphalt milling/overlay, and separate concrete projects were included in the bonds the Council approved earlier during Wednesday’s meeting.