After three years of planning and town meetings, numerous delays and even more discussions, Seminole’s Main Street is now open to the public. All barricades blocking the street to traffic were removed as of Friday morning, June 6.

“With one of the rainiest seasons on record, this has been a test of patience for us and the contractors,” said Public Works Director Bryant Baker.

The Seminole City Council and the Seminole Urban Renewal Authority previously joined together on budgetary talks and to receive public input on how to make the downtown district more appealing.

“We heard several ideas from residents and downtown business owners,” said City Manager Steve Saxon. “After three or more public hearings on the best expenditure for Main Street, Urban Renewal brought the idea of a street overlay back to City Council for their blessing. It has been a rough few months, but after new water lines were installed, streets closed on and off, and multiple rain showers slowing down progress, we are about to see the finish line,” said Saxon.

Silverstar Construction finished the overlay Thursday afternoon and began the final rollover of the asphalt.

“There are still a couple of small projects left,” said Baker. “The plan calls for mid-block accessible ramps, and after those are installed, the crews will come back and stripe the streets and parking spaces. “We’ll probably extend just a bit past our June 30 deadline, but the end result will look fantastic,” “As a city council member and now mayor, I am so glad to see it go from a paper plan to reality,” said Mayor Cory Crabtree. “This is an exciting time to live in Seminole.”