The State College Borough Council had a work session Friday to discuss the upkeep of little things that students may take for granted, like lighting in dark areas and bike racks downtown.

The borough members heard a presentation from public works director Mark Whitfield on the Capital Improvement Plan for 2007 through 2011, an annual plan that includes downtown maintenance and its cost.

"People expect to have streetlights that work and roads that are paved and a library that is accessible and up to date," Council member Elizabeth Goreham said. "We spend [just] under a million dollars a year on capital improvement so things function well."

Whitfield said the proposed projects for State College streets include micro-surfacing many roads to lengthen the life of the pavement, installing lighting in residential areas downtown and putting more trashcans downtown.

Whitfield said the public works department installs more lighting in dark areas based on requests from residents and has plans to continue installing lighting whenever the need arises. Currently, they have plans to install new streetlights on Beaver Avenue in 2007 and replace lights on College Avenue in 2008 and 2009. They also have plans to replace streetlights on Burrowes, McAllister, Garner, Hiester and Sowers in 2011.

Whitfield said the general plan for street improvements include plans for traffic signal improvements, the realignment of Fraser Street and Beaver Avenue to complete the proposed Fraser Centre, as well as improving streets in the Urban Village.

Goreham said the CIP plan is very important to State College for many reasons.

"It's extremely important because we are competing for people to come downtown and to enjoy it," she said. "There is competition to keep the roads clear; it's really essential to the governing and well being of our town."

Council Member Craig Humphrey expressed concern about the realignment of Fraser Street and Beaver Avenue being done at the same time as the Fraser Centre was being constructed.

"It would be a mess to have both of those things going on at the same time,"he said.

The CIP plan calls for the resurfacing of Fairmount Street and Irvin Avenue in 2007. Whitfield said the borough spends $630,000 every year on street reconstruction, street and alley resurfacing and curb replacement.

There is a plan to widen the sidewalks on College Avenue, from Fraser Street to Pugh Street in 2008, which Whitfield said is awaiting funding.

The council also wants to allow bicyclists to pedal both ways down the Foster Avenue East-West Pedestrian Bicycle Connection, a path that runs along Foster Avenue. It also wants to install more bike racks. Whitfield said the public works department recently completed a warning signal for bikers at the intersection of McKee Street and Park Avenue and has installed parking for 50 additional bikes downtown in the last year.

Goreham said the council approves the parts of the plan they want to complete for the year. That becomes a budget for the plan that is discussed and eventually voted upon.