While the improved roadway and new parking lot have been open to the public since early December, city crews wrapped up some light work that remained in the Commercial Street redevelopment project last week.

Workers with the Department of Public Services, along with contractors from Benton Harbor’s Ibid County Electric, installed around 20 decorative light poles along the downtown street throughout the week, with work wrapping up Friday. The lamps closely resemble the existing light fixtures the city has installed in recent years along Division and Front streets.

The poles were originally intended for installation during the rest of the $1.6 million Commercial Street redevelopment, which wrapped up in December following six months of construction.

The manufacturers of the lamps, Grand Rapids’ Robert Shaver Co., were originally commissioned to produce the same model of poles they have made in recent years for other downtown Dowagiac streets. However, that model is no longer made by the company, forcing designers to create a new version — causing problems during installation, said City Manager Kevin Anderson.

“The differences are very slight, and not readily apparent to the naked eye,” Anderson said. “When we went to put them up, though, some of the component pieces did not fit properly.”

More specifically, the redesigned poles did not fit into the bases the city had previously ordered for the project, Anderson said. After failing to retrofit the poles to fit, the city ordered the manufacturer to produce new parts, delaying the installation until after Commercial’s public reopening.

“But we have them up now, and they look great,” Anderson said.

The new light poles are but a small part of the recent Commercial Street renovations, which included the construction of a new parking lot, the installation of brick paving along portions of the road and placement of decorative pillars, which will be used to display pieces of public art. The city also made improvements to portions of Division Street as well, in an attempt to spruce up the entryways to downtown, tearing down old structures to make room for added green space and parking spaces.

With the placement of the poles, the only remaining task for the Commercial Street project is to solicit artwork for the pillars. The city plans on issuing a public art call for the project in the coming weeks.

“We are ready for spring, when all the flowers and grasses that were planted emerge,” Anderson said. “It will be a complete product we can enjoy all year long.”