Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson and other village officials cut a green ribbon in front of the Flossmoor Public Library on Saturday, Nov. 29, marking the completion of downtown Flossmoor’s streetscape construction project.

Village officials stood outside in freezing temperatures and snow-covered boots. The 8.4 inches that fell that day was the highest single-day November snowfall on record in Chicagoland, according to weather.gov.

Nelson joked about the length of her speech, promising to keep it brief.

“For residents and business owners, and a big thanks to staff who got it done. It was quite a bear,” Nelson said. “Thanks to the trustees who backed this up and allowed us to continue going for it, even when times were tough. So, it was a great team effort.”

The streetscape construction project started in the summer. It aimed to improve safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, encourage community members to gather outside the shops and make downtown Flossmoor more aesthetically pleasing. 

“We better defined our traffic flow in downtown by adding a series of curbs,” Nelson said. “We also expanded the sidewalk area and shortened the distance that pedestrians have to cross in order to get across the street.”

Baxter & Woodman Consulting Engineers helmed the project design, according to the project’s overview on the village website. 

The construction crew added new outside seating and bicycle racks. They removed some of the large trees and planted new, younger ones. 

“The old planting areas for trees strangled the tree roots,” Nelson said, adding that the total number of trees in downtown Flossmoor has more than tripled. “The new planting beds are much bigger.”

Previously, traffic flow would be disrupted when a motorist stopped at the USPS mailbox at the corner of Park Drive and Central Drive. To prevent this, the mailbox was moved to a new, less busy location on Central Drive.

“Feedback has been really positive over the improvements,” Village Manager Bridget Wachtel said. “It’s been a long time in the making, and it’s exciting to have it complete.”

“They did a good job. I like how it looks,” said Tony Fields, co-owner of Conservatory Vintage and Vinyl, a record store in downtown Flossmoor. “If you look in front of our door, there are benches right there. Those weren’t there prior to [the construction].”

“The downtown area really did need a freshening up and a facelift,” said Maureen Mader, president of the Flossmoor Business Association and owner of Dunning’s Gourmet Market & Deli in downtown Flossmoor. “When they get the flowers planted next year, it’s going to look really pretty.”