[media-credit name=’RAY PFEIFFER/Herald file photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]The annual celebration of the Mifflin Street Block Party may be interrupted this year due to reconstruction efforts, which were unanimously approved by the Board of Public Works Wednesday evening.

With the Mifflin Street Block Party planned for either the last Saturday in April or the first Saturday in May, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the reconstruction may hinder the annual celebration.

"The construction should last through the fall," Verveer said. "This is a total reconstruction process that entails a complete overhaul of the Mifflin Street area, including complete removal of the pavement, sidewalks and the underground utilities."

And depending on the contractor, Verveer said, that reconstruction may begin before the annual block party, a Madison tradition since 1969.

"I'm going to fight for it to hold off until after the block party, and even after final exams if I can," said Verveer, whose district includes Mifflin Street. "I'd like a couple weeks' breathing room, so I'm shooting for mid-May, and hopefully we'll be able to accomplish that."

The reconstruction efforts will take place on the 400 and 500 block of West Mifflin Street. Specificities of the reconstruction process include resurfacing of the two blocks and installation of pedestrian lighting, as well as the replacement of the sanitary sewer, the water main, the sidewalk, the storm sewer, curbs and gutters. The board was supportive of this complete overhaul, but was concerned about some of the more minute details.

Board member Laura Hewitt questioned the installation of streetlights that didn't completely reduce light pollution.

"It really depends upon how strong the wattage is," Hewitt said. "About 85 to 90 percent of the lighting that's going in is full cutoff … [and] ideally, I'd like to see full cutoff lighting on everything, but you have to be reasonable when considering neighborhood desires."

Traffic signal and lighting engineer Dan Dettmann said the streetlights being installed have reflectors inside of them that reflected the light downward but also had glass tops, which provide for some light pollution. In response to this, Dettmann said they planned on installing 50-watt light bulbs in order to minimize the effect of the lights.

"We just use these for aesthetic reasons," Dettmann said. "This, along with the State Street lighting, is just one exception to the 98 percent of full cutoff lighting Madison has."

After questioning the many aspects of the reconstruction, the Board of Public Works found the plan solid enough for approval of each detail.

Even though the property owners adjacent to Mifflin Street will be paying for some of the project, Verveer said there has been no public outcry and no property owners have shown up at the board meetings in objection to the project.

He said the city hopes the reconstruction will improve the Mifflin Street ambiance and will help to develop Madison's overall aesthetic appeal.