Mill Streeters say ‘Keep it simple’

Residents and business owners on Mill Street last Thursday night urged the street project designers to develop a straight-forward design with parallel parking, minimum curb-outs and few trees. They also favored installation of bright street lights, a change that generated complaints after completion of north end project on Mill Street in 2008.

The comments were logged at a public session to get opinions on the design of a project.

Munir Daud, Pullman consulting engineer, said he would incorporate suggestions in an updated plan and present it at another session in two weeks. Daud last night displayed an earlier version of the plan for the project which had been sidelined for three years until the city qualified for state Transportation Improvement Board funds for this year.

The chart displayed last night detailed plans for diagonal parking along the street, but that concept has already been dropped, Daud said.

Daud also said curb-outs along the street would be kept at a minimum. Some curb-outs will be required because the Avista power poles will not be relocated. Telephone company poles will be moved back, he noted.

Most of the attendees urged the project designer to keep tree plantings at a minimum. They also said they favored installation of strong street lights along the project which will run from Island to Main Street.