Formal Ribbon-Cutting for Jefferson Avenue Downtown Held Wednesday Morning

City of Effingham officials and downtown business owners were on hand Wednesday morning for the formal ribbon-cutting ceremony for the reconstructed Jefferson Avenue.

(EFFINGHAM MAYOR MIKE SCHUTZBACH SNIPPED THE RIBBON OFFICIALLY OPENING THE RECONSTRUCTED JEFFERSON AVENUE THROUGH DOWNTOWN)

The ceremony took place at the intersection of Jefferson and Banker, and City Director of Public Works Jeremy Heuerman was the main speaker. Heuerman termed the project a "long-term investment" for the City. He thanked the downtown business owner-operators for their patience during the project that involved rebuilding Jefferson a block at a time. He noted that the project took 95 calendar days to complete, starting July 8 and opening October 10. The project cost was $925,000, about $10,000 below the bid amount.

Heuerman thanked City officials, past and present, for their work on the project, as well as the design firm Farnsworth Group and the chief contractor Benaich Construction.

There is work remaining on the project, and that's the striping of the street. The striping had been scheduled earlier, but was rained out. It's hoped the work will take place in the next few days.