Interested residents gathered on Wednesday night, Dec. 15 at the Bianchi Community Center for an Oakdale community meeting on the Third Avenue Improvement/Rehabilitation project. The session began with talk of a new downtown area focused around North Third Avenue, then building an eye catching arch at the cross section of E Street.

“The primary reason for this project is having a roadway that is in disrepair, and a sewer line that needs to be replaced,” said City Manager Bryan Whitemyer. “We are just taking advantage of this opportunity, this necessity to replace and fix the road.”

The project – with the necessary roadwork and associated esthetic improvements – is to be presented to the Oakdale City Council at its regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 20. If approved then, construction is expected to begin in the spring, in April 2022. The council will be asked to approve the layout plan following a staff report on the proposal. The city will be able to utilize American Rescue Plan Act funds for the project.

The construction work will be done primarily after hours, so as to limit the interruptions to businesses in the project area. It will, however, require some changes to sidewalks and storefront access.

The work is expected to be completed near the end of 2022, with the goal of creating a ‘must see’ part of the downtown area for visitors passing through or a new go-to area for residents.