City staff told the downtown committee the city is actively filling hazardous vaults beneath downtown sidewalks and is preparing nearby parking‑lot and corridor projects.

Staff said the city has reimplemented a downtown vault‑closure program that enables property owners to separate foundations from vault voids; after a property owner constructs a foundation wall the city assumes the void, fills it and replaces the sidewalk. Staff named Yacht Construction as a contractor working on three properties now and said additional vaults remain to be filled.

The committee heard that Parking Lot Q, in the 200 block of North Main Street, has had its largest vault filled, storm drainage reinstated and is scheduled to be paved and usable by Nov. 15. Staff said the lot will have two new access doors and lies adjacent to a building identified in the meeting as “the Democrat.”

On corridor planning, staff said the city requested a proposal from Jones Petrie Rufinski (JPR) for a preliminary design of the Main Street to Fifth Street corridor, including right‑of‑way reconstruction to allow outdoor seating and improved pedestrian access and evaluating connectivity to the parking lot behind the Presbyterian Church. The first JPR proposal exceeded budget expectations and staff has returned it with an adjusted scope while awaiting a revised proposal.

Committee members asked for updates on how these larger corridor plans might affect the committee’s mission and downtown investments; staff said they would monitor developments.

These items were presented as updates and did not produce formal votes at this meeting.