LANDER MAIN STREET RECONSTRUCTION

OWNER:  City of Lander, Wyoming
DATE:  1991-1993
Total Project Cost:  $4,200,000

Services Provided: 

• Special Improvement District Formation
• General Obligation Bond Issue Assistance
• Water and Sewer System Design
• Storm Drainage System Design
• Funding Agencies Coordination and Grantsmanship
• Bidding Process Assistance
• Construction Monitoring

When the Wyoming Department of Transportation announced plans to rebuild the Highway 287 through downtown Lander, the city began making plans to rebuild their utilities and design an appealing decor for Main Street. James Gores and Associates, along with Quinn/Richardson/Kucera and C.E. Spurlock Jr. and Associates, Inc., were selected as the design team.

Bond Issues: To assist in the passage of the two needed bond issues, James Gores and Associates, along with Quinn/Richardson/Kucera, assembled a speaking program and handouts to explain the project and its costs. Using this program, the project was presented to local civic groups, employee groups, senior citizens, and the public. Both bond issues passed by a 2 to 1 margin.

Utilities: The project required replacement of all improvements from building front to building front on eight blocks of Main Street. The utility system reconstruction involved replacement of all water and sewer mains and their service lines to each business. Because the existing lines were over 80 years old, few records were available on these systems. This demanded an exhaustive field reconnaissance to locate services and other system features.

Street beautification features included installing colored and patterned sidewalks, decorative street lamps, trees (with a drip irrigation system), benches, trash receptacles, and bicycle racks.

Funding: The Lander Main Street Reconstruction Project was complex. Seven funding sources were involved. These were Farm Loan Board, Wyoming Department of Transportation, the City of Lander’s Enterprise Fund, a special improvement district, a general obligation bond, the City’s Economic Development account, and the Fremont County Association of Governments.

During construction, James Gores and Associates provided full-time resident engineers to monitor the work. At completion, the project was $560,000 under budget and one month ahead of schedule.