The Railroad Square streetscaping will include the installation old-fashioned street lights, decorative planters and trees. New trees will replace some older, sickly trees in Cavalaire Square, the city pocket park.

New sidewalks will be put in with stamped asphalt paving that will give it the look of being imbedded with railroad ties.

The intersections at both ends will also be repaved with stamped asphalt to give it the appearance of brick paving.

"It looks just like brick and it holds up better," O'Neill said.

Also, at both ends of the Phase One area will be one of the most distinctive and important features, functional railroad crossing arms.

The overall aim of the project, city officials say, is creating a defined, pedestrian-friendly area suitable for day-to-day use and conducive to outdoor fairs and special events. On such occasions, the crossing arms can serve to shut down Nebraska Avenue to vehicle traffic, creating an instant festival space.

The project is designed to encourage business owners on Main Street to open "second fronts" on Nebraska Avenue.

But there were also costs to consider. When the project was first conceptualized, proponents were taken aback when they realized the first phase would cost as much as they thought the entire project would cost.

For instance, there was some talk of having a restored 1930s-era caboose somewhere as another thematic landmark. O'Neill said that idea was scrapped as the project was scaled back. The cost of maintaining a genuine, antique iron caboose would be enormous, he said, maybe more than building a replica from scratch.

The price tag for the first phase is $477,151. Improvements of this type are a city's way of investing in itself, O'Neill said, especially for a city looking for business investors.

In that sense, Railroad Square is already showing a return. Former City Engineer Bob Carroll, who now owns his own construction company, recently purchased the old City Hall building, which has sat dormant for decades.

He plans on redeveloping the building on Main Street east of Grand Boulevard soon, possibly into a combination of a restaurant and retail space.

Former Mayor Dan Tipton, under whose administration the Railroad Square project took shape, is friends with Carroll.

Tipton was on hand for the groundbreaking, and he said one of the reasons Carroll went ahead is because this is one on those buildings that will have an entrance onto Main Street and Railroad Square.

Speaking at the groundbreaking, Tipton's successor, Mayor Scott McPherson, praised those who created the project for the way it celebrates the city's history, and for how quickly residents will see become a reality.

"This phase of the project is only going to be approximately 90 days," he said, "so it's not one of those deals where we'll have to wait two years to see something."

Klint Lowry can be reached at 727-815-1067 or klowry@suncoastnews.com

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