Town officials to offer insight, seek feedback from residents during May 21 Town Hall Meeting on project, which will bring significant upgrades to downtown area
Wellington’s Main Street district is set to undergo a major renovation over the next couple years, thanks largely to more than $4.4 million in grant money awarded to the town by various state and federal agencies.
Called the Cleveland Avenue Construction Project, the effort will bring significant upgrades to Wellington’s Main Street in the following areas:
- Street infrastructure
- Stormwater drainage
- Pedestrian safety
- Americans with Disabilities Act compliance
- Parking
- Business access
- Downtown lighting
The project’s upgrades will provide benefits for vulnerable users, school children, pedestrians and cyclists and improve the overall accessibility downtown by implementing ADA-compliant ramps at all intersections. Additionally, it will ensure more effective stormwater drainage on Cleveland Avenue and elsewhere downtown.
Working with partners like the Wellington Main Street Program and Safe Routes to School, the town has already secured $4,476,822 in funding from state and federal agencies through three grant programs administered by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). By leveraging those state and federal funds, town staff significantly reduced Wellington’s matching requirement for the project.
“This is a really exciting opportunity for our town and for our downtown business community,” Wellington Main Street Program President Erin Jerome says. “This will create a safer more accessible space for community members to enjoy downtown Wellington and increase opportunities for our businesses to thrive.”
During its April 9 regular meeting, Wellington’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to award a contract for the project’s design and construction management to J-U-B Engineers out of Fort Collins. Currently, J-U-B has just started work on the first 30 percent of the project’s design, which is due for completion in late July.
As part of that initial design planning, the town is hosting a Town Hall Meeting at 6:30 p.m. on May 21 at the Leeper Center, 3800 Wilson Ave. in Wellington. All residents are encouraged to attend.
While it is a town project, many of its exact specifications are controlled by CDOT, as both the giver of the grants and the owner of the right-of-way on Cleveland Avenue potentially impacted by the project’s construction plan. The meeting will serve as a chance for town officials to offer insight into certain aspects of the project plan while also seeking feedback from residents.
“In our 2021 Comprehensive Plan, residents placed significant emphasis on revitalizing our downtown, and the upcoming redesign of Cleveland Avenue presents a unique opportunity for our community to embark on a legacy project,” Deputy Town Administrator Kelly Houghteling says. “The Town recognizes the importance of community input in ensuring the success of this endeavor. We invite you to be a part of shaping our downtown into a vibrant destination for generations to come.”
J-U-B aims to submit the project’s final plan by late autumn/early winter this year, so the town can award a construction contract for the project in early 2025. Construction work is slated to begin in late winter 2024 or early spring 2025 and is scheduled for completion in late 2026.
For more information about the Cleveland Avenue Construction Project as well as the Town Hall Meeting, see the project’s website. To view the Town of Wellington’s Comprehensive Plan, go
to wellingtoncolorado.gov/451/Comprehensive-Plan.