New Braidwood town center expected to be completed by June

A major project to transform city-owned property off Main Street into the Braidwood Town Center is moving forward.The City Council approved a contract with RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture, Ruben E. Smith Construction and R R Inc. for the project, though two Commissioners, Warren Wietting and Dale Walsh, voted against it, saying the project is not a priority.The city received a $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant in January that was earmarked for the construction of the town center with amenities such as a splash pad, gazebo, band shell, and pickleball court.“This started out as a vision, we applied for a grant,” Mayor Todd Lyons said. " We would not have been able to do this project without this grant, with again, with a hard work from our staff."Though the grant will cover $600,000 of construction expenses, the amount is less than 50% of the $1,280,456.75 base bid received. Commissioners Wietting and Walsh have said in the past that the Town Center is not