Skaneateles residents may soon see some structural and aesthetic changes on the road that Village Mayor Robert Green calls “probably one of the worst streets we have in the village right now.”

West Lake Street, a road that intersects with West Genesee and parallels the lake, has been in a state of disrepair for some time, Green said.

The village is currently in the planning phase for a project that will likely include resurfacing, reconstruction of some utilities, changes to the stormwater management system and discussions on parking and curbing, said John Hunt, the village's director of municipal operations.

Hunt plans to meet with village officials and technical experts (including landscape architects and engineers) on site in mid-August to talk about upgrades to the village portion of the road and its subsurface infrastructure.

The edges of the unstriped road are not well-defined, and the pavement is uneven in many places.

“It's just not in very good shape,” Hunt said.

Green said that West Lake Street reconstruction is a project that has long been on his mind, ever since he was public works superintendent.

It was put on the back burner for a few years because the project was more in-depth than had previously been thought, he said, but now the village has budgeted for engineering costs.

After the planning meeting, Hunt and Green would like to hire a firm to develop conceptual drawings that can be brought to the public.

Residents will then have the opportunity to comment on the proposals.

“Our intention is to put in something that the village and residents both will agree on,” Hunt said. “We'll take a look and explore our options.”

One of the areas that could wind up being a main topic of discussion is the parking situation, Green said.

Parking is only permitted on one side of the street as of now, and residents may want to offer suggestions on whether to create parking spaces or not allow parking.

Another area to focus on is curbing, which can help to control some of the stormwater runoff that some West Lake Street residents now face, Hunt added.

Green said that the project will likely be carried out in a two-year phased construction.

He hopes to start work next year.

The extent of each phase will be discussed at budget time, Hunt said.