Price tag for Joliet downtown square at $8.4 million

Joliet expects the construction of a city square downtown will cost about $8.4 million.

Future maintenance costs for the square are estimated at between $385,000 and $535,000 a year.

Those were the numbers presented to the Joliet City Council last week in the latest update on the project, which is to be started next summer and completed by 2026.

“It gives you a very good idea at this point of what we’re looking at based on known information about city square,” Joliet Community Development Director Eva-Marie Tropper told the council.

The presentation was the first public finalization of cost estimates for the project, which had been estimated at between $6 million and $10 million.

The $8.4 million estimate means the city will need to find another $2.4 million for the project. The city previously received a $3 million state grant for the project. The grant required city matching funds, and Joliet has set aside $3 million for the square.

Tropper said the plan is to have staff dedicated to the maintenance of the square once it is built, including one full-time worker, two part-timers and 10 seasonal workers.

She also said the city should have equipment dedicated to square maintenance, which would cost between $70,000 and $130,000.

Council members did not question the costs, but they asked about certain design elements.

Mayor Terry D’Arcy suggested that designers consider artificial turf instead of natural grass in the square.

“We all know that when grass gets muddy it becomes a real problem,” D’Arcy said.

He noted that he had been to Dallas, Texas, where artificial turf was used in a city center park setting.

Phil Hutchinson with Civiltech, the engineering company hired by the city to design the square, said natural grass has some advantages.

“Natural turf is a nicer setting,” Hutchinson said. “It gives you some green space downtown.”

He said artificial turf heats up in the sun and “just doesn’t feel as natural or nice.”

Hutchinson said the square could be equipped with a drainage system to reduce the possibilities of flooded grass and mud.

Council member Jan Quillman questioned the use of metal seating, noting that it also tends to get warm in the sun.

Hutchinson said the plan includes a combination of metal benches that would be located in shady areas and wood seating.

Council member Joe Clement said square maintenance will be a priority once it is built.

“I want to make sure we’re out there every day keeping this clean,” Clement said.

The City Council has not yet voted to approve funding for the project.

The square is to be built along Chicago Street south of Clinton Street in an area now occupied by parking lots and the Van Buren Plaza.