With phase one of the city of Beaver Dam’s downtown redevelopment plan going smoothly, city officials are feeling ambitious.

Beaver Dam Area Development Corporation Executive Director Trent Campbell presented a proposed list of phase two projects at the operations committee meeting Monday night.

These projects, aimed at beautifying downtown after the phase one demolition of 10 buildings, were all originally scheduled for 2010. But with grant money on the way, it is possible some of the seven projects could be tackled before the year is out.

“We’re looking to form a general plan and get feedback so it can be fine tuned and put into place,” Campbell said. “You have to know the entire scope of the project before you can determine the degree to which you jump into any one of them individually. That’s what we’re trying to do here is to get well organized so we can move forward.”

Weatherizing and resurfacing a trio of walls exposed as result of building demolition was first on the list. Buildings at 141 Front St., 108 Center St. and 213 Front St. each have a wall exposed to the elements after contractors removed adjacent structures.

With an estimated price tag of $100,000, city officials hope work could begin as soon as design and contract bids could be secured. The money is on hand according to administration director John Somers.

An exterior foam insulating system (EFIS) has been suggested for the walls. The Inter-Quest building on South Spring Street and the Center Plaza building on Center Street are examples of this technique.

Flood plain elevation and FEMA map revisions are crucial to future downtown projects and is the focus of the second proposed project.

With the removal of river impediments, including buildings and Tower Parking Lot culverts, it is expected that the flood plain elevation will drop, potentially removing some remaining downtown properties from the flood fringe. This would free them from the 50-percent of value improvement restriction that Campbell called a “blight death sentence.”

The $50,000 required for detailed engineering and mapping to create a new definition of the flood elevation is on hand, and work could begin shortly when approved by the city council.

The third project is an 85-foot long pedestrian bridge across the new open river channel in Tower Parking Lot.

The project details are still under consideration, but it would likely be eight feet wide and cost around $225,000. If grant funds appear in time and permits are acquired, work could begin in the fall.

Protective barriers along the new open river channel are also being considered. Natural landscaping, such as boulders, could create the necessary barriers at a cost of $25,000. Natural landscaping would be more cost

cient and add a softer appearance, according to Campbell.

Also, a decorative railing system and replacement of sidewalk along the Center Street Bridge would cost the city $150,000, bring an aesthetically pleasing element to the area while providing a necessary safety feature. This project is projected to be undertaken next spring.

A possible flood wall, estimated at $200,000, could also be built next spring, but the city must await the findings of the flood plain elevation study to figure out which properties remain in the flood fringe first.

The most fluid of the projects is the beautification of the recently demolished portions of the project. Several different city organizations have ideas on how to improve the area, and much discussion will need to be undertaken before any final design or concept is agreed upon.

“There needs to be a coming together of the minds on this,” Campbell said. “The thought is that these conversations can be had under a reasonable timeline, and when you have agreement, you can move forward.”

Depending on the final plan, portions could be started this year and then finished in 2010, or whenever the final building, the Fountain Inn, ends up being removed by order of the department of justice.

dbaulch@capitalnewspapers.com