“The North Union streetscape project has been named among the best in the state for 2016,” reports Kelsey Boudin for the Olean Times Herald. “In a ceremony at Rochester’s Strathallan Hotel last Thursday, Olean officials accepted one of two New York State Chapter of the American Public Works Association Project of the Year awards for small-city transportation. The $8.85 million overhaul, completed last year, brought five roundabouts and center medians to North Union Street—along with major water and sewer infrastructure fixes beneath—in hopes of fostering an economic and cultural resurgence downtown. “‘It says a lot about what we did with our downtown,’ [former Mayor Linda] Witte said. ‘It does spur more development, and you can just see, driving uptown, people are starting to get more interested in the properties. It gives validation that we did make the right decision. I was very honored to be there. I was very happy for the city. It’s one of those things that’s going to keep our city moving forward.'”
