By Ron Clayton, Correspondent

ETOWAH, Tenn. — Construction of a new streetscape for this city’s downtown area is under way, and now plans are being finalized for a multimillion-dollar wellness and recreation center.

“We are finally rolling up the sidewalks in Etowah,” City Manager Andy Hyatt said. “They are starting to lay conduit, and we hope to have the project done about the first of April.”

Sidewalks are being replaced in a five-block section along U.S. Highway 411 between Fifth and 10th streets. It is a primary shopping area for the city, with antique and discount shops and several restaurants.

The improvements include concrete and brick sidewalks, some new curbs and a series of antique light posts with banner bars. The cost is about $545,000, according to City Clerk Melissa Henderson. Sidewalk costs are set at $337,000, and the remainder will be spent on wiring and lighting, she said.

Work is being funded through a Tennessee Department of Transportation grant with a 11.52 percent match by the city.

Public Works Director Billy Ingram said Etowah Utilities is providing the light installation portion of the project, and the city is working with local businesses so they will know when the sections in front of their stores will be closed for the renovation.

Etowah Chamber of Commerce Director Durrant Tullock said local businesses have known for a year they could have up to a two-week interruption in accessing their businesses because of the sidewalk work. And while some have back doors for customers to use, others have chosen to close and update their buildings at the same time, he said.

Mr. Hyatt said the city chose this time of the year for the work because there are fewer visitors in winter.

The wellness center complex is in its beginning stages, city officials said. It will be built on 24 acres the city recently bought along state Route 30.

Mr. Hyatt said a building on the site can be renovated to house exercise and weight areas, classrooms and other needs. An addition to that building would have a basketball court to help the local basketball association, which now has about 400 players, he said.

Future work could include softball and soccer fields, swimming pools, tennis courts and other recreation features and even a skatepark, he said.

The Bullock Group Architects of Knoxville is designing the center, and Wilbur Smith Associates is the engineers for the project.

A variety of matching grants will be used, including recreation and Community Development Block Grants. The city will seek about $2.5 million in bonds for the project and other needed work.

“This is going to be a high-quality community center,” Mr. Hyatt said, adding it will be done in two or three phases. He said final drawings for Phase I could be done in August, with construction bids in the fall and actual work by the end of the year.

“We are going to be very aggressive with this,” he said.

Mr. Tullock said the two projects, along with expansions at the Waupaca foundry and the Johns Manville plant, the four-laning of U.S. 411 and the continued Hiwassee rail tours, are going to mean “a pivotal year for growth and expansion in Etowah.”

E-mail Ron Clayton at jwalton@timesfreepress.com