Council approves downtown Phase 2 planning study; funding source identified as food-and-beverage committee

Lebanon — The Lebanon City Council voted to fund a planning study for downtown redevelopment Phase 2, authorizing city staff to proceed with a consultant proposal to inventory rights-of-way, utilities and potential conflicts on a block-by-block basis in the nine-block study area.

City staff presented a proposal by Crossroad Engineers, the civil engineering firm that worked on prior downtown improvements, and described the study as preparatory work to properly budget, plan and phase potential construction. The staff presentation stated the request before council was for $59,000 to prepare the planning study and estimated a six-month completion timeline after a notice to proceed.

During the motion to fund the study, a council member stated “it is $118,000,” but the transcript does not include further clarification or a corrected figure; the council moved and approved funding through the food-and-beverage committee. The motion as recorded states the study will be funded by the food-and-beverage committee; the transcript does not document whether the approved amount was $59,000 or $118,000, nor does it show a secondary motion clarifying the discrepancy.

Staff said the study would produce documents needed to budget and potentially phase projects similar to the downtown activation work completed in 2017–2018. The council recorded no public comment during the hearing and approved the funding by voice vote. The meeting transcript contains no subsequent instruction on phasing, consultant contract terms, or reporting requirements.