Residents and committee members will meet today to discuss ways to improve the visual appearance of East Lincoln Highway by adding landscaped islands in the middle of the road.

Sue Guio, DeKalb community services planner, said the East Lincoln Highway Revitalization Task Force Committee will consider creating more green space in the form of landscaped islands in the middle of the highway.

The task force will review conceptual design sketches and discuss the next steps of the restoration process.

“We’re not talking mass tear-down and rebuild, but taking what we have and improving it,” Guio said.

The proposed improvements are based on input from area businesses and residents. Consultant Greg Slisram of Wisconsin-based Vandewalle & Associates put together the design proposal.

While the task force will not vote on the proposal today, DeKalb Principal Planner Russ Farnum said he expects the task force will choose a plan by next year.

“We are hoping to have the plan done in January of 2005,” Farnum said. “When the plan is done, over the next five to 10 years, you should be seeing progress and capital improvements.”

The meeting will begin at 2 p.m. in the large conference room at the DeKalb Community Development Department, 223 S. Fourth St.