ROCKY MOUNT -- The Rocky Mount Town Council met Tuesday in a work session to discuss $120,000 in potential cuts to its uptown revitalization project.

When complete, the project will include improvements to the South Main Street corridor from Church Street to Floyd Avenue and down Court and Warren streets. The goal is to make the area more visually appealing and pedestrian friendly, Assistant Town Manger Matt Hankins said.

The lowest bid for the roadwork and landscaping portion of the project came in higher than expected at $1.9 million, Hankins said. With other incidentals, the project carries a $2.4 million price tag.

The town obtained about $631,000 in grants from the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Community Development, but town officials are looking to make the project more cost-effective.

"We want to look for areas where we can economize if possible, but still have a great project," Town Manager James Ervin said.

Cuts proposed by Hankins and accepted by the council include:

n Using standard pavement instead of asphalt brick pavers at South Main and Court streets.

n Reducing the number of benches from nine to seven and ordering them in bulk. Employees from the Public Works Department can install.

n Reducing the number of trees from 31 to 25 and purchasing them from a different supplier than the one proposed by the contractor.

n Purchasing similar planters and trash receptacles to the one proposed by the contractor, but from a different supplier.

Hankins will meet with the contractor today to negotiate the cuts.

The council also questioned other costs, such as $35,000 for someone to direct traffic when a lane is closed during construction. Some councilmen questioned whether a town public works employee could flag, saving money.

Councilmen also suggested that Hankins negotiate the cost of hauling construction materials and see if dumping it in the county landfill would cut costs.

After negotiating with the contractor, Hankins will bring the contract to the town council Sept. 14 to be voted on. If it is accepted, work could begin within six weeks, Hankins said.

The other aspects of the uptown revitalization project are facade improvements and micro enterprise loans.

The town and the Community Partnership for Revitalization are working with an architect for a uniform appearance for uptown buildings. Also, new or expanding businesses in the area will be able to apply for a micro-loan of $10,000 per job created.