NORMAL - Some significant projects could happen in Normal next fiscal year even though the town has tightened its financial belt. | Board member wants transparency in clerk dispute fees | Heartland asking for higher tax levy

The proposed six-year community investment plan considered by the City Council during a work session Monday night includes $1.3 million to replace the water slide at Fairview Family Aquatic Center and $235,000 to begin Shepard Park, just east of Hershey Road near the Greenbriar subdivision.

The main work on Shepard Park will not happen until fiscal year 2010-11. That's when $700,000 is earmarked for the project.

The capital fund also includes $1.5 million for a parking lot at the minor league baseball stadium to be built at Heartland Community College and $318,340 to improve Fort Jesse Road from Beech Street to Blair Drive.

Some of the projects that were temporarily taken out of the capital fund budget because of budget constraints include a parking lot and new entrance off Linden Street at Underwood Park; a second dog park; and development of Northbridge Park.

Motor fuel tax money will be used for some road-related work, including new traffic signals at Fort Jesse Road and Landmark Drive and at Shepard Road and Greenbriar Drive. Towanda Avenue will be widened from Shelbourne Drive to Raab Road, and Virginia Avenue will be improved from University Street to Franklin Avenue.

The budget also includes slightly more than $1 million to finish improving Pipeline from Northtown to Zeibarth roads.

Motorists will not have the benefit of new signals at Fort Jesse and Susan Drive or at Raab Road and Millennium Drive. Those are among a dozen road-related projects taken out of the six-year plan.

The complete proposed plan is available on the town's Web site at www.normal.org. The City Council will have a work session to discuss the proposed 2009-10 fiscal year budget in late January.