Aldermen vote to spend $28,700 for design work on alleys as part of Sixth Street project

QUINCY — The Quincy City Council approved spending $28,700 in TIF dollars with Crawford, Murphy and Tilly of Springfield for additional design services of the streetscape and engineering design of North Sixth Street between Maine and Vermont.

Aldermen had approved a contract on Sept. 8, 2020, with Crawford, Murphy and Tilly for $151,735.00 for streetscape and engineering design the same area. However, Tieraney Craig, owner of Quincy Brewing Company at 110 N. Sixth, said inflation pushed estimates past what was originally budgeted. Also, the project has expanded to include two connecting alleys between Maine and Vermont.

“We, along with some other very talented property owners, are committed to keeping this project under (a $4.4 million) budget,” Craig told aldermen. “However, there’s one cost out of our control. As many of you know, the grant money cannot be used for any design work. By adding the alleys, we need extra funds to cover that design.”

Craig said the project, at first, only called for work to be done from Maine to Hampshire.

“Then when we got the grant, we said, ‘Why would we do just half? Why don’t we just do it all?’” Craig said after the meeting. “By just doing it all at once, we just had some extra fees.”

She says the plan now calls for the addition of outlets and electricity in a city parking lot south of One Restaurant, allowing for food trucks to park there for special events. She also hopes decorative lighting will be added in the alley north of Electric Fountain Brewing.

Asked if she had a fallback plan in case the city denied her request, Craig said, “Well, we had B and C, but we were really hoping they would pick option A.”

Aldermen also:

• Allowed the Quincy Symphony Orchestra Association, Waterkotte Construction and the St. Francis School Eighth Grade to conduct raffles.
• Heard a report from Community Development Planner Jason Parrott about the city’s food and beverage tax. He reported 147 people have moved to Quincy through the Quincy’s Calling workforce relocation program. He said money from the economic growth fund has attracted more than 20,000 people to attend local events, and more than 2,000 people have stayed in hotels.
• Approved spending $13,064.03 with Garvey’s Office Products of Niles for city office supplies for a one-year contract.
• Approved spending $360,000 in motor fuel tax funds for new asphalt pavement, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, a water main, decorative lights and traffic signals on Hampshire Street from North Eighth to North 11^th.
• Approved spending $1,060,614 with Diamond Construction Company for the 2022 Motor Fuel Tax asphalt maintenance project for milling and resurfacing of 1.26 miles of roads throughout the city. 
• Approved an ordinance to vacate an alley bounded by North 18th, Maple, North 20^th and Sycamore.
• Approved an ordinance to add no parking zones on the north and south side of State Street, 60 feet west of the center of South 23^rd.
• Approved paying for five laptops to be given to the computer center at Bethel AME Church.
• Approved allowing the finance committee chairman and the mayor to approve any lower electricity rates provided by SIMEC, which helps Illinois municipalities obtain lower-cost electricity supply for residents and small businesses on the open market.