The Sturgeon Bay city council agreed to add bike lanes to Michigan Street during its regular meeting on Tuesday evening. The project, which calls for some paint removal, painted lanes, signs & symbols, comes with a price tag of $11,050 & is unfunded in the 2012 budget. Lanes would be installed from 1st Avenue to Highway 42/57. The fact that the project was unfunded led to much discussion & several attempts to specify where the dollars to pay for the work should come from. In the end, a majority of the council decided to follow the advice of alderman Ron Vandertie who inserted language in the resolution authorizing staff to install the portion of the street that can be handled under the 2012 operations budget & apply for a grant to complete the remainder. If the grant is not obtained, the project would be finished in 2013 under the capital budget. However, the consensus was that the needed grants could be obtained & a specific maintenance line item covering painting & signage would not have to be tapped into. About half of the project cost is related to paint removal from 1st to 5th Avenue. Speaking of paint & donations, the Sherwin Williams store has provided four gallons of paint for the project. Aldermen were told that the installation of bike lanes on Michigan Street was an important safety measure for bicyclists of all ages.
