[media-credit name=’Derek Montgomery’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]With 30 days to go until Halloween, the city of Madison is doing all it can to keep the newly redesigned 100 block of State Street free from Halloween vandalism.

Thursday night, the State Street Design Committee discussed updates on the completed 100 block of State Street construction as well as the direction Phase II, the 200 block, will follow.

Some of the larger issues the committee discussed were the problems regarding the size of the trees to be planted and fixed along State Street.

City Engineer Steve Gohde noted landscapers on the project proposed that tree planting be postponed until the spring, although he himself recommended trees be planted as soon as possible.

Tree planting needs to be done early in order to allow the trees to properly take root before colder weather. The committee’s primary concern is that the trees will be planted and sturdy before the Halloween havoc.

“A smaller tree will grow faster, but it can’t be too small. A small tree won’t survive vandalism,” said Landscape Architect Ken Saiki.

The committee approved the use of smaller trees to be planted in the sidewalks of the 100 block of State Street as soon as possible.

The committee will follow the original plan to plant the trees before Halloween despite debate, according to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4.

In addition to tree size, the shape of tree grates also proved to be an issue worthy of debate.

Gohde explained circle shaped bases could most easily be tipped on their sides and rolled down the street. A square base would prevent rolling, but they do present tripping hazards.

The committee decided hexagon tree bases proved the best option, as their cut-off corners prevent rolling without having a tripping hazard.

But tree planting was not the only topic on the committee’s agenda.

Gohde noted another significant difficulty, before the weather turns unfavorable, is concrete and pavement settling problems.

“My biggest concern [over pouring concrete] is as we get farther into the year, we’ll have cooler days and colder nights. Concrete needs warm weather to [settle] properly in order to be more resistant to the winter,” Gohde said.

Fall and winter construction poses a problem due to colder weather while spring and summer construction interferes with heavy pedestrian traffic and negative business implications. For these reasons, strategic construction planning is in place.

“This will be an ongoing problem as we get to the 400 and 500 blocks of the project,” Gohde said. “There is just no flexibility with concrete curing. It’s hard to find the best time to plan this around.”

Without any of these obstacles, construction is set to begin in April with the possibility of a late March start, according to Gohde.

Businesses also expressed concern over furniture placement, tree grates and bike racks on the 200 block because their specific placements can negatively affect access to their businesses.

Although planners have made attempts to make furniture placement flexible for businesses, conflicts have continued to make placement difficult as movement of furniture only sparks other complaints.

“Few stores will want racks, benches and planters in front of their store, but it’s problematic to keep moving them around,” Gohde said.

Sufficient bike parking was also prominent on the agenda. Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, noted the amount of complaints the city has received on bike parking shortages.

“Bikes are just like cars,” Ted Crabb, committee chair, said. “If you provide racks, they’ll get used. The problem is when you don’t have enough. Trees and light poles have been commonly [used] lately for stationing devices.”

Gohde explained the use of parking ramps as areas for future bike racks, during and after construction, is under investigation.

The committee also proposed to hold a meeting where directors of Maxwell Street Days and construction contractors could resolve construction problems that interfere with the summer festival.

A third meeting will take place Oct. 28 to further summarize plans and to include a review of the budget for the project.