The Elma City Council voted unanimously last week to advance to the construction stage of a road-improvement project.

The project, according to a federal aid project prospectus, will focus on East Main Street from the Highway 12 intersection to the east end of city limits.

According to the prospectus and director of public works Jim Starks, the project calls for a widening of sidewalks, street lighting and storm drainage improvements.

The council gave approval for the Mayor to move forward with the next stage when the design phase of the project is completed. Councilman David Blackett was absent.

The project is primarily funded through a Federal Highway Administration grant administered by the state Department of Transportation. More than $900,000 of the estimated total cost of more than $1.04 million will come from the grant, with the remainder coming out of the city’s street fund.

Now in the construction phase, an invitation to bid for the project has been put out by the city. Starks notes that the bid award does not happen until the the Department of Transportation signs off.

Other Business

The council deliberated briefly on a request from Elma Fire Chief Tyson Boling to outfit the department’s primary fire engine with new tires.

In a memo, Boling stated the department believed re-tread rear tires would do the job at a cost of $320.46 per tire.

After deliberation and input from councilmembers, a motion to reconsider was made to outfit the engine with new rear tires as well as new front tires. The cost of new tires instead of re-tread will cost $433.13 per tire.