ZELIENOPLE — Construction for the borough’s streetscape portion of the revitalization project is nearing.

Borough council approved contracts Monday evening for Clarion-based M & B Services for a total of about $257,700. The projects will be split for funding purposes, $188,695 for the general contract and $69,000 for the electrical contract.

“This (electrical contract) is the work associated with the Main Street portion, but doesn’t include the underground or overhead utilities,” borough engineer Tom Thompson said. “It’s mainly the electric for the poles and everything else involved.”

Council also approved work for the east side of Main Street, funded by the state Department of Transportation.

“We are fortunate, because we had to split the east from the west. We could have had two different contractors,” council President Allen Bayer said. “We were very concerned about that.”

Thompson said construction is scheduled to start in July and end “sometime in 2018.”

The streetscape project will see improvements to both sides of Main Street, including sidewalk enhancements, crosswalk safety improvements, pedestrian lighting, traffic signals, driveway aprons, ADA-compliant curb ramps, underground utilities and intersection upgrades.

Council recently applied for grants worth $1.67 million and $900,000, respectively.

Council rejected a bid valued at $540,000 for Westmoreland Electric Services. Thompson said the borough wants to see more bids for the underground wiring. Council approved rebidding the project.

The borough’s revitalization project started work in 2016 after several years of planning and fundraising through grants.

The new municipal parking lot that fits over 100 average-sized vehicles is in the finishing touches, while the portion of the project focused on reopening the Kaufman House is on track for this year, officials said.

The borough has acquired multiple grants for the project from the state and regional levels, including a $3 million state grant awarded in 2014 that is still being used today.

It also was recently awarded $1 million in funding from the state Department of Community and Economic Development for the streetscape project.