Alexandria Mayor Jacques M. Roy said Friday that the Bolton Ave. Special Planned Activity Redevelopment Corridors initiative, known as SPARC (better known as CRAPS) will begin in a couple of months. (See: "Work on Bolton Avenue to start within 2 months, Alexandria mayor says").
The City expects the project to be approved and permitted within 6-8 weeks and the project will then be advertised for bids and awarded accordingly. id.
SPARC, announced in 2008, includes a $2.5 million streetscape project on Bolton Avenue and works includes the demolition of neglected structures, preservation of historic properties, construction of a bus depot, new sidewalks and landscaping. id. One of the key aspects of that redevelopment was the Cotton Brothers Building at Bolton and Elliott Street which the building was purchased by the Central Louisiana Chapter of the American Red Cross, which renovated it for use as its headquarters. id. "Efforts to move the city's bus depot to Bolton Avenue, however, have not been successful to date." id.
In May 2010, the city held meetings with local stakeholders and residents to get their opinions on what they would like to see done on Bolton Avenue and that input will make up much of the streetscape renovation to be done. id. Stakeholders is a fancy new term that means interested parties and doesn't include the vast majority of us taxpayers that will have to pay back the $40 million in bond money that the City has indebted itself for over the next generation.
Jacques said that said the project, which is expected to cost roughly $1 million, will be broken into two parts with the first will be the resurfacing and overlay of the street from Lee Street to Rapides Avenue. id. "That project, to include a bike lane, is expected to begin this spring." id. The second part will focus on the "core zone," which runs from Elliott Street to Rapides Avenue and the streetscape component will begin this summer. id. The "streetscape portion of the project will focus on landscaping, traffic calming, pavement stamping and sidewalk improvements". id.
These CRAPS projects, like almost all of the others in Jacques grand theme, will provide no new businesses, jobs or enhancements to our quality of life as was promised.
See Also: http://centrallapolitics.blogspot.com/2012/02/report-on-dilapidated-structures-in.html, http://centrallapolitics.blogspot.com/2012/02/brets-city-notebook-for-february-12.html, and http://centrallapolitics.blogspot.com/2012/01/monroes-new-farmers-market.html and the posts linked thereunder.
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Wait a minute Greg. SPARC may bring some improvement in business on the new and improved Bolton Ave. We may have a better line of prostitutes trolling the streets.
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