To brick or not to brick. That it is the question.
At least that was the question before Galesburg City Council last night.
City administration was recommending reclassifying Prairie Street from Dayton to Park Lane, to allow future reconstruction of the street to be done with concrete instead of brick, for a savings of $250,000.
Several residents of Prairie St. voiced their support of keeping the street brick as did Paul Stewart on behalf of the Galesburg Landmark Commission.
The proposal would also newly reclassify Grove Street from Broad to Prairie to protect those as brick streets.
City Engineer Wayne Carl explains that Grove is in the heart of the historic district and the aforementioned section of Prairie is outside of it.
Carl says in 2003 when the city developed their brick street policy they decided that instead of the city having a lot of brick streets of low-quality they would focus on a few.
Carl says that the longevity of a brick and concrete street is about the same
Brick streets have concrete underneath them that would need replaced.
“People do say that the brick streets have lasted 100 years but they’ve probably been in bad shape for about 40,” Carl says. “So they’re there and people are tolerating them but they have not been a decent street for a very long time.”
Alderman Jeremy Karlin who represents the street says he believes a majority of his constituents would prefer a brick street all things equal.
But he said if it comes down to having it replaced with brick in five years or longer or concrete next year, he believes they’d say…
“…that they’d like their street replaced with concrete and asphalt.”
Karlin says that constituents can’t bank on promises that the council will get around to something in five years.
Not because they’re being dishonest but because situations in government change.
