The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — City officials are working to improve the appearance of the alley between Yampa and Lincoln avenues.

The city is doing utility undergrounding, which means lines and other equipment for electrical and telephone services will be removed and placed under the ground.

Anne Small, purchasing and contracts specialist for the city, said that the undergrounding will improve the appearance of the alleyway and also will help protect the lines from wind and other weather elements.

The project started at 10th Street and will go to Fifth Street. Work will be completed in half-block increments. Most of the work will occur between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The undergrounding work will not take place July 1 through 4 nor July 8 and 9.

The contractor, Par Electrical, and the city have been working with property owners to address concerns. The work may affect businesses' deliveries, Small said. She said she will visit property owners to discuss the length of time of the project and to answer questions.

Small also said there will be power outages when the systems are switched from above ground to underground. She will talk to business owners about the best time to do the switchovers.

"We'll coordinate with all the property owners affected with each outage," Small said.

The project is set for completion by the end of August.