ABOVE: The sidewalks on Downtown Plaza in Fairmont are one of the pieces that will be discussed by a group as the city looks to make improvements to the whole area. A steering committee just started meeting this week and will continue to meet over the next six months.

FAIRMONT– This week a committee kicked off planning meetings for improvements to Downtown Plaza in Fairmont.

“We’re going to be focusing on the downtown area, which is Main Street to Park Avenue and Blue Earth Avenue to 4th Street. That’s the area we’re looking at,” said Public Works Director, Matthew York.

The improvements, which vary in scope, are something that York said have been needed for quite some time.

“When I got here, we had money in the budget for bollards, street lights, some landscaping and we saw the need to do some sort of repair on the sidewalk system downtown and in order to group them all into one project, that’s why we brought this forward,” York explained.

A request for proposals had first been sent out in November of 2024 and was later revised in September of 2025 to include ADA accessibility, beautification features and stormwater quality improvements. While three companies submitted proposals, the council had, in February of this year, approved working with Short Elliot Hendrickson (SEH) in a 3-2 vote.

The steering committee includes York, Civil Engineer, Tyler Cowing, Economic Development Coordinator, Ned Koppen, City Administrator, Jason Baker, Engineering Intern, Isaac Stone, Greater Plaza Area Council (GPAC) Representatives, DeAnn Eversman and Sara Cyphers, STEP Inc. representative, Liz Brewster and two members of SEH.

Speaking to how the downtown representatives were selected, York said the GPAC leaders, who are also downtown business owners, were chosen so that they could liaison back and forth between the steering committee and GPAC and that Brewster was chosen so that STEP could be involved due to its work with people with disabilities and the fact that it’s also a downtown business.

“This is their world that they live in everyday. They see the interactions with their clients and they see the parking situation and the walkability in front of their locations. We want to get their opinion because I’m looking at it from a city point-of-view, versus a business owner or tenant that is looking at it from their business point-of-view. We just want to make sure we’re lining those things up as much as we can,” York said.

The group will continue to meet twice a month over the next six months.

SEH was downtown last week and spent several hours touring and photographing the area.

“They’re trying to get a lay of the land,” York explained.

There are two main pieces being looked at, which are infrastructure and economic development, and there are six main topics which will be talked about initially, which are parking, walkability and streetscape, greenspace and landscaping, traffic flow, lighting and stormwater improvements.

Speaking more about walkability, York said that the pavers need to be addressed.

“It was in compliance when it was built. Pavers aren’t considered to be a proper walkable surface area because there are so many indentations in it. It’s not really a preferred surface now so we need to look at other options now to make sure we have the proper surface there,” York said.

In looking at adding greenspace and other landscapes around the sidewalks then, he said they’ll have to ensure that everything is in ADA compliance.

Over the course of the next few months, during the steering committee meetings, York said they’ll get updates from SEH and the group will be able to interject and make sure everything is going down the right path and that feedback can be given.

Community engagement will also be a piece of this project. It will potentially include both surveys and an open house that will culminate in a community workshop sometime in September.

“Coming out of the workshop they’ll be providing two concept drawings for the city council to look at and see how they want to finish the scope of what the project will be,” York said. “Once we get the final scope from the city council, we’ll look at funding opportunities, grants, cost estimates and the phasing report on when we should do it.”

He added that a cost estimate should be in by early October but that the final report won’t be ready until December.

York also stressed that while community feedback is important there are some regulatory items that need to be followed that are non-negotiable.

“There are needs of our downtown that need to be accomplished, and then there are wants and then there are things in the future, if money is available to do,” he said.

York expressed excitement to have the project come to this point where it’s beginning to be discussed.

“The is just the kickoff but the project has started and is moving forward. We have it going, it’s been approved, we have some money set aside for it in the budget and we’re looking toward the future and getting the scope and ideas down,” York said.