A $6.6 million bid approved by Peoria County’s infrastructure committee Monday could mean a major overhaul for the county’s courthouse plaza.
The bid from Core Construction Services of Illinois, Inc. includes extensive improvements to the entire block surrounding the courthouse and its plaza.
If construction moves forward, the project would improve electrical and irrigation systems, restore the functionality of the plaza’s fountains while replacing the large one behind the courthouse, increase lighting and intersection infrastructure at Main and Jefferson and shift the location of the Abraham Lincoln statue slightly, while installing prairie grass and bison statues elsewhere in the complex.
The bison statues tie the project to the county’s ongoing bison-heavy bicentennial celebrations. During a presentation to the board Monday, County Administrator Scott Sorrell told the infrastructure committee, if approved, the project would need to be finished by “the end of September” to coincide with any bicentennial festivities.
The agenda packet provided for the project at Monday’s meeting explains the project would mean a shift from “frequent, reactive repairs” to “predictable, preventative maintenance.” County staff argue the full overhaul is necessary because it means replacing outdated systems that hamper both the safety and appeal of the courthouse plaza as a public space.
According to county officials, a significant amount of the funding for the project comes from American Rescue Plan Act funding, which allowed municipalities to make improvements to public infrastructure hampered by the economic pressures of the coronavirus pandemic.
The agenda packet further points out that, without a project for the funds, the federal funding allocated for this purpose would likely be lost.
The approval by the infrastructure committee means a recommendation for approval is passed on to the County Board. Their next meeting is May 8.
