Phase III of Calhoun’s streetscape project will include green space in front of the courthouse.

Adding “some warmth to the courthouse,” said Downtown Development Authority Director Suzanne Roland, “is my favorite part.”

The small area of grass and trees will be situated in front of the courthouse where there is currently “just a wide spot in the road,” Roland said.

She specified that phase III is still in the preliminary stages, and must be approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation.

In an e-mail to the city, Jaeger and Co. architect Scott Douglas said this of the green space design: “The ‘travel lane’ in front of the courthouse is much wider than it needs to be and is basically unused, wasted paved area. This concept bumps the curb out into that area (still leaving a wide travel lane) and introduces a lawn/landscape area. We think this “frames” the courthouse a little better (instead of paving all the way to the building) and it also reduces the length of the crosswalk, which would be good for pedestrians.”

“The entire streetscape project is for pedestrians; it’s for their comfort, their safety,” Roland said. “It will just give a really hometown feel to it.”

In other ways, the facelift for Wall Street’s East side will “match exactly the other side” of the street, she said, including brick banding for the sidewalks.

Several “bumpouts,” areas of sidewalk at street corners – will be extended on the east side, as they have been on the west, Roland said. This way, pedestrians “don’t have to jump off the curb and run” when crossing the street.

The bumpout in front of the Foremost building will extend into the street so it ends even with the greenspace boundary in front of the courthouse. Roland said this modification will contribute to creating “a pedestrian-friendly crosswalk area.”

The area in front of the Harris Arts Center will be paved with the engraved bricks the center staff has been selling for some time.

Also included in this phase of the streetscape project will be an improvement to the steep grade of the driveway of the county administration building parking lot, she said.

Roland said she hopes the city will be able to bid out Phase III of the streetscape project by the end of the year. Jaeger Co. is handling the architectural designs.

Another improvement that Roland hopes will coincide with the streetscape will be mast arm-style traffic lights that will replace the current hanging ones.

Mast arm lights are more attractive because they eliminate the need for the wires that accompany hanging lights she said. The refurbished west side of Wall Street already has this type of lighting.

The lighting upgrade has been approved at the state level; the city is now waiting for the DOT to begin the construction, she said.