VIDEO: Crumbling Parking Lot to Receive Face-Lift

The parking lot on the corner of Elm Street and West Jefferson Avenue is set to receive a much needed face-lift in June and the people at nearby St. Joseph Parish Center could not be happier.

The city has decided to use some of the 2011-12 Community Development Block Grant funds to have the lot resurfaced.

According to assistant city engineer Kelly Fedele resurfacing the lot is expected to be far cheaper than redoing the entire lot down to the concrete base.

The parking lot has about 80 spots and the employees at St. Joseph Parish Center often use the lot because the lot at the center is very small according to parish business manager Fred Elias.

"With the limited number of parking spaces that we have in the area the municipal parking lot has been a very important part of our parish life," Elias said.

The total cost of the resurfacing is not yet known, but Fedele said she estimates the cost to be around $70,000.

The total block grant fund is expected to be similar to last year at about $113,000. The city plans to use the remainder of the money to subsidize transportation services for senior citizens, for administration fees and to replace and repair various streets within the eligible block grant area.  All repairs to the city must be made in the Downtown area according to Fedele.

The expected completion date is sometime in July.

Fedele said the entire project could take up to 30 days to complete, and she does not expect there to be any effect on local traffic.