Celebration recognizes completion of rehabbed Wilmette downtown

For the past year, the downtown Wilmette community — from business owners to village officials to residents — have endured construction disruption with the village’s Central Avenue and Downtown Streetscape Project.

With a vast majority of the work complete, it was time to celebrate on Friday, Aug. 27, with a ribbon-cutting and reopening bash on the newly minted Village Hall Green.

The Party Scene on the Green began with special shopping hours at local businesses, and then activities on green, such as lawn games, airbrush tattoos and a balloon artist. The band Shout Out capped the evening with live music.

Organizers also set aside time for a ceremonious ribbon-cutting with some words from Village President Senta Plunkett, as they honored Engineering and Public Works Director Brigitte Berger-Raish and her team.

As previously reported by The Record, the streetscape work began in September 2020 and consisted of an overhaul of the Village Center plus the residential area on Central Avenue to Sheridan Road.

The downtown-Wilmette portion includes new utilities plus new pavement, curbs and parking alignments, additional landscaping and curb-appeal amenities, such as flower boxes, lighting, benches and more.

The project was approved in 2019 at a cost of $2 million, most of which is reportedly funded by grants.

While the work in downtown Wilmette is complete, roadwork east of 11th Street is ongoing.

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