Celina looks to invest over $130M in downtown roads

Concrete will also last longer than the asphalt in place now. Asphalt has to be repaved every eight- to 10 years, but concrete only needs to be rebuilt every 40-50 years, Brawner explained.

The reconstruction won’t just benefit cars. Construction will also add sidewalks.

“It will be the one thing that will hold the city together,” Hopkins said. “It’s the jewel, the belt buckle.”

Breaking it down

Current estimates put the project’s overall price tag at $131 million over the next 10 years, although it can be difficult to predict construction costs so far into the future, Brawner said.

City officials could pay up to 10% more in order to complete the reconstruction in a condensed time frame, Brawner said.

Some of the work that would typically be done by city staff will have to be outsourced, like a $1.7 million project management contract with engineering firm Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson approved by Celina City Council in May, she said.

Council approves plans for future infrastructure projects on a rolling five-year basis. The first five years of the plan, including funding for 2026, was approved by council in March.

The local impact

Katie Dunn, who owns the downtown bars Little Wooden Penguin and Nowhere Bar, has had her fair share of drainage issues.

“We flood every single time it rains at Penguin,” she said. “It just comes right in the front door.”

While she’s excited for better streets, she also knows the impact construction can have on local businesses. Little Wooden Penguin is located near Beech Street, which closed for construction in 2023 as part of a different project.

Reconstruction comes as downtown sales tax revenue is still catching up to Celina’s growing population, according to data presented at a Feb. 9 meeting.

City officials hope “short-term inconvenience” will better position downtown to capitalize on future growth, City Manager Robert Ranc said.

Staff will hold community meetings for people near future construction, and construction plans could change based on resident sentiment, Brawner said.

“Construction fatigue is my biggest uncontrollable variable,” she said. “We’ll do the best we can to accommodate the needs of the community.”

Put in perspective

The city will be able to afford the reconstruction within its existing tax rate of $0.576401 per $100 valuation, Ranc said.

To balance the budget, council outlined projects in other parts of Celina that could be postponed at a Feb. 4 work session, including Legacy Bridge, Smiley Road and parts of J. Fred Smith Parkway.

“This wasn’t going to get done unless we made a concerted effort to do it,” Hopkins said.

The big picture

Upgrading infrastructure is just one piece of city officials’ plan for downtown Celina, said Anthony Satarino, executive director of the Celina Economic Development Corp.

“We have more people coming,” he said. “We’re trying to make downtown more walkable, and more of a destination.”

According to the city’s Downtown Master Plan, southbound Ohio Drive between Pecan Street and Walnut Street will be turned into a pedestrian-only walkway, creating a line of sight to the future City Hall on Beech Street.

Downtown Celina is important for the city’s economic trajectory not only because it houses businesses, but also because its “small-town feel” attracts future residents and investors, Satarino said.

Hopkins, who moved to Celina with his wife 12 years ago, is an example of downtown’s draw.

“We can stand on the end of our driveway and look down the street and see downtown,” he said. “We fell in love with it.”