The repurposing of Willow Street, a project that was envisioned for years to make it nicer and more beautiful for residents and pedestrians to access areas of Old City and connect them to downtown and the Susquehanna Riverwalk, remains on track.

The next step involved City Council passing a resolution authorizing professional and administrative services agreement between the city and SEDA-Council of Governments for environmental review services for the project.

The city is planning to make upgrades to improve Willow Street, between Basin and West Fourth Sts., using Community Development Block Grant funding to cover design and engineering services, according to Valerie Fessler, city director of the community and economic development department.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires that anytime there is use of CDBG funds for a construction project or Home funds that an environment review be done, she said.

The work typically will involve looking for environmental concerns, such as whether there are endangered species beneath the group, wetlands issues, Brownfields- related issues such as any any hazardous materials – things of that nature the public works committee was told.

“It’s a check off the box type of review,” said Bill Scott, city engineer. “To make sure we are not doing it in a place where something is under the ground we are not aware of,” he said.

This kind of environmental review was done on the Little League Boulevard repair project and officials located streams in the eastern end of the city. These streams are underground and in culverts.

As for the Willow Street project, Councilman Vince Pulizzi asked Scott about it during the public works committee meeting.

He said the city intends to make the alley a combined use, more or less for pedestrian use to connect the Old City area and Lycoming College and those neighborhoods to the downtown. Making it a pleasant walk or bike ride, improving the look and functionality for neighbors using it, not stopping it from traffic, but making it overall safer and more desirable for foot and bicycle traffic.

Although the council viewed a rendering, on it they said they could see cobble stones laid down to what otherwise has been a nondescript alleyway in a part of the city that has been undergoing transformational renovation.