“It’s beautiful,” said John Lenahan, owner of Lenahan’s Hardware and lifelong Tonganoxie resident, “Best I’ve seen in 77 years.”

Marilyn Robbins, of Midwest Carpet, also approved.

“I think it’s gorgeous,” she said. “What a refreshing look it gives to everything.”

From her desk at Hancock Realty, Ann McBroom has her sights on Fourth Street.

lisa stevens john/mirror photo

“It really looks great,” she said. “It even makes you smile when you look outside.”

McBroom said the renovation makes the existing buildings look better.

“It gives them a facelift,” she said. “And it makes a good first impression you look around and you like it.”

Harold Putthoff said the new look dresses up the town, and he said the price was worth the results.

“Everybody thought that it was going to be a waste of money,” Putthoff said. “But you have to go with the times.”

Linda Zacher, city planner, said the street and sidewalk renovation cost $857,212. Of that, she said, about half was funded by a state-sponsored comprehensive development grant.

But even as citizens give a nod of approval to the renovation as a whole, they’re still asking questions.

Several businessmen asked if they’re supposed to water the trees in front of their businesses.

Butch Rodgers, city superintendent, said the city is shouldering the responsibility for that. The city has a truck with a tank that will spray water on trees, he said, and he said if business owners want to add a bucket or two of extra water they’re welcome to do that.

Others have asked about the electrical outlets at the base of the trees, about a half-dozen of which have been vandalized.

Rodgers said David Bennett, who ran the electrical lines for the streetlamps and outlets, would be repairing the outlet boxes. Anyone who has information about the recent vandalisms of the boxes is encouraged to call the Tonganoxie Police Department, 845-2311.

And, finally, the plans called for a yellow line down the center of Fourth Street. Some residents have asked if this will be included.

Zacher noted the city has never had a yellow line down Fourth Street.

“We’ve gotten along fine without one,” she added. “But it’s on the agenda for the June 12 council meeting so it’s up to the council to decide.”

Cecil Kingsley, Tonganoxie city engineer and a partner in BG Consultants Inc., Lawrence, the firm that designed the renovation, said the yellow lines were included in the design and noted that they follow guidelines in the UMTCD (Uniform Manual of Traffic Control Devices).

“As far as the engineering goes, it would be appropriate to put the yellow line on,” Kingsley said. “But the city may opt not to.”

John Franiuk, mayor, said he’s in favor of striping the road.

“I definitely want to get a stripe down there,” Franiuk said. “I think that’s important you’ve got to see which side’s which.”

And now, back to the ambiance that people are talking about.

Connie Torneden, of First State Bank, said she likes the new look, in part because it modernized downtown, but “kept the old-fashioned character.”

As organizer of the annual Tonganoxie Days celebration, set for this weekend, Torneden added that she’s glad the streets will be open during the event.

And Rosie Oelschlaeger, who was lunching at Fourth Street Cafonday noon, said she likes downtown’s new look and said it was the final week of construction that cinched it for her.

“After they got the streets done it all felt better,” she said. “Before that, it was ‘Well, we’ll just see.'”