Dalton Gardens seeks Fourth Street input

The Dalton Gardens Fourth Street informational open house is 6-9 p.m. Sept. 10 at Dalton Elementary Gym, 6335 N. Mt. Carrol St., Dalton Gardens.

As most of our residents are aware, Dalton Gardens has been immersed in controversy concerning a federal grant to reconstruct and improve Fourth Street from Dalton Avenue to Prairie Avenue. So much energy and emotion has surrounded this topic that it has contributed to the growth of such groups as Save Dalton Gardens and fed into the effort, which recalled a mayor and two council members, as well as being the main topic of neighborhood discussion for the last two years. Your current mayor, council and staff would like all of the residents of Dalton Gardens to have the latest, non-biased information concerning Fourth Street by attending this informational gathering. This event is an open-house format in which small groups will be led through a variety of displays and presentations that cover all aspects of the Fourth Street issue and available options.

Included in the information:

- Current status of the street with geotechnical analysis results and recommendations.

- Options for rebuild and/or repair with associated costs.

- Requirements for using the federal grant to build the road, and how that may impact the citizens of our city.

- Various options for design within the federal grant and the impact they would have on Fourth Street and its citizens.

- Information concerning potential intersection improvement options.

- What it means financially to our citizens if we accept the grant versus do not accept the grant.

There will also be opportunities to ask questions and provide written feedback, as well as receive future information regarding Fourth Street and other happenings in our city. Over the next several weeks we will use the feedback of our citizens to factor in decisions regarding how Dalton Gardens moves forward with Fourth Street. We are at a place in time where we need to ‘fish or cut bait’ meaning we need to start with the planning and project development of the Fourth Street rebuild, or give these funds back so they may be used for other projects. If the $4 million in grant money is returned, we will then need to start planning alternative ways to fund the repair/rebuild of Fourth Street.

Please make every attempt to visit the informational open house. The information given at this event is current, un-biased and accurate. We depend on educated feedback from our citizens in order to determine where we want to go with this project and this wonderful city.

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Jeff Fletcher is the mayor of Dalton Gardens.