KAUFMAN, Texas — The Kaufman downtown square is headed for a major facelift, with construction starting as early as next year after the Kaufman City Council approved moving forward with the project Monday night.
KAUFMAN, Texas — The Kaufman downtown square is headed for a major facelift, with construction starting as early as next year after the Kaufman City Council approved moving forward with the project Monday night.
Initiated by a $390,900 grant for pedestrian access enhancements from the Texas Department of Transportation in 2013, the renovation plans now include a number of parking, accessibility, aesthetic, and utility improvements with an early cost estimate of up to $3 million.
“We have to do pedestrian improvements on all four sides of the square as part of the grant,” said Kaufman Director of Development Services Marcy Ratcliff. “What we have seen is that it doesn’t make sense to just do that piecemeal. It really needs to have all of the improvements done at once.”
As proposed, the project will be a fundamental change to the look and feel of the square, from the current oval traffic roundabout to a rectangular shape with two distinct traffic lanes and well-defined corners. Parking on three sides of the courthouse will go from parallel slots to an angled arrangement, with much of the current wasted space being transformed into pedestrian access areas.
“We reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians from 60-80 feet down to 24 feet across two, 12-foot lanes, which is the TXDOT standard for this type of facility,” said Brad Moulton of la terra studio, the firm that produced the design concept. “There is not an intent to discourage traffic, but rather to slow the traffic down and provide better pedestrian access.”
Funding for the additional improvements is not yet certain. The city had already committed $1 million to the project, but the final design may have to be modified or deferred if the money cannot be found.
“We are currently looking for other funds, and any way that we can save money to pay for the expensive parts which are the concrete and the construction,” Ratcliff said. “The utility improvements, including a major water line that feeds all of north Kaufman, would be really beneficial. We are going to do as much of that as we can in-house to save money. TXDOT has also helped in pointing us to things like additional grant money which can help with some areas of the landscaping.”
New city manager Mike Slye was optimistic that the overall added value to the city and county would elicit the support that would be needed to follow through on the project.
“I think this will be big for the city of Kaufman,” Slye said. “There are a lot of folks who want to see the downtown area thrive and this is our chance to make that happen. You see what is happening on the south end of town around Walmart and Kings Fort, and that is one area, but I think we need to give the same time and attention to our square so that it does not die. I know the money isn’t there yet, but if we scratch around long enough and hard enough, we can find it.”
According to Ratcliff, even with the possibility of more than a year of construction obstacles ahead, downtown building owners and business tenants are excited for the changes.
“One of the biggest problems for any business around the square, here and in any older town, is that the area isn’t very walkable, sidewalks are in bad shape, and crossing the street you are sort of taking your life into your own hands,” she said. “This is the center of our community, and the center of the county. It is easier to encourage people to come when it is attractive and safe, and then people want to come back.”
The project now moves to a more intensive design phase, which must all be approved by TXDOT before construction can begin, likely in mid-2016. Depending on the final scope of the project, completing the project could take up to 18 months.
