ESCANABA — The Escanaba City Council heard a proposal Thursday that would change the look and feel of the eastern end of Ludington Street.

“This is nothing major. We’re not transforming the downtown, which is what I always talk about, but it’s a small step to try and start things off,” said Escanaba Downtown Development Authority Director Craig Woerpel.

Woerpel was before the council Thursday to share the proposal created by the Ludington Street Workgroup, a workgroup composed of five individuals that included two DDA representatives, two representatives from Escanaba Public Works, and the city’s planning and zoning administrator, Tyler Anthony. The group’s intentions were to develop possibilities for downtown improvements that could qualify for a grant through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) RAP 2.0 program. RAP 2.0 is MEDC’s latest iteration of its Revitalization and Placemaking Program, which offers grants for the creation of infrastructure and development projects to create public spaces where people want to live, work, play or visit.

The workgroup has been meeting weekly since April to develop a plan, which includes multiple changes to the area between the Municipal Dock and 5th Street.

Key among the changes are modifications to Ludington Street itself, including the addition of a median with vegetation on each of the three blocks, angled parking, and bump outs, also known as “curb extensions,” which extend the sidewalk into the roadway to add visual cues for drivers and enhance pedestrian safety.

“I’ve walked out to that (point) and the cars will stop like, ‘Oh my God, he’s in the middle of the street,’ but if you put a bump out, you’re actually still on the (sidewalk) at that point, and then you have a shorter distance to sprint across Ludington Street before an oncoming car could come at you,” said Woerpel.

The angled parking included in the plan would also be an a much sharper angle than drivers may be used to — 30 degrees instead of the current 45 degree parking found in some areas of Ludington Street. This is designed both to increase available parking in areas where only parallel parking is available currently and to create a safer situation for drivers reentering traffic.

Overall, the council was supportive of the project, however there were some concerns raised during the meeting.

One concern was that the city currently uses the center lane for snow storage when plowing in the winter and the center lane would be removed if the medians were installed. Escanaba Public Works Director Wendy Taavola, who also sits on the workgroup committee, told the council adjustments would need to be made to the way plowing is done by the city. She did not offer specifics about how snow removal would take place, but indicated the city crews would be able to adapt to the new medians and bump outs in the roadway.

Another concern was the added congestion caused by the removal of lanes in the area. It was stated that slowing traffic in the area was actually a feature of the plan, as slower traffic is safer for pedestrians.

Some on the council worried about moving large, heavy equipment such as cranes into the area, which is set to be developed into a hotel and condominiums. Woerpel noted that equipment that took up more than a single lane of traffic could still be moved to the sites using 1st Avenue North.

Also included in the proposal was the planned addition of new restrooms across the street from the Municipal Dock and directly west of the city’s lift station. The new restroom building would feature six single-stall bathrooms, including three that would be handicapped accessible.

“I think it’s a great idea and it reminds me of ‘(It’s) a Wonderful Life,’ and it’s going to be a wonderful project,” said Council Member Todd Flath.

While the council did not need to approve the project for the grant to be submitted, the council voted unanimously in favor of the grant application as a show of support for the project.

If the grant is awarded, the project will cost a total of $660,039, with 50% of the project’s costs being a match from the city.

In other business the council:

— Held two public hearings. The first was part of a the state-mandated amendment ordinance to the city’s appropriations ordinance, required prior to the end of the 2023 fiscal year. The second, was to award a Community Development Block Grant/Revolving Loan Fund loan to LeverEdge Chiropractic in the amount of $35,000. The loan will allow LeverEdge to hire a new employee and keeps the city current and active in the CDBG/RLF program.

— Withdrew the city’s membership from Great Lakes Utilities.

— Approved entering into an agreement with Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin, Inc. for linemen training services.

— Approved the purchase of new signage at the Escanaba Marina.

— Approved closing the 2100 block of 3rd Place on July 28 from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. for Great Lakes Federal Credit Union’s annual Membership Appreciation Day.

— Approve the annual service agreements with the Bonifas Arts Center and the Delta County Historical Society.

— Approved a resolution of support for the Bonifas Arts Center’s Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs grant application for the annual Music Monday’s summer concert series.

— Approved entering into a contract with C2AE for engineering services related to the planned Webster Park Splash Pad.

— Approved the purchase of a tandem plow truck for the public works department.

— Approved allowing the water department to retain and hire any contractor licensed and insured to do the necessary work for the purpose of replacing lead service lines across the city. The contractors will be paid a set rate of $6,000 for a full service or $3,150 for a half service.

— Approved the purchase of a new generator for the water plant.

— Approved sponsoring an Escanaba Public Safety recruit attending the police academy.

— Approved the purchase of new extrication equipment for the public safety department.