The Fulton City Council is keeping sidewalks high on its priority list for 2015.
At its March 11 meeting, the council approved the transfer of $50,000 from the city's annual asphalt overlay project funding to sidewalk improvements, which receives $20,000 annually.
That commitment was furthered at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday with discussion of how to proceed with sidewalk improvements. The engineering department recently completed a sidewalk survey, tracking which sidewalks need repairs the most, and that was presented to the council. City Engineer Greg Hayes said the recently-formed committee and Mayor LeRoy Benton gave his department areas of focus for repairs, if necessary: around city properties, city parks, the core of downtown Fulton and connections to Westminster College and William Woods University. He added that the list is "very preliminary."
The estimated total for materials for the streets listed is $54,825. Streets included in the engineering department's proposed list are:
•Seventh Street from Bluff Street to Grand Street;
•Eighth Street from St. Louis Avenue to Wood Street;
•Grand Street from 10th Street to 13th Street;
•State Street from Eighth Street to Ninth Street;
•Vine Street from Fifth Street to Seventh Street;
•Vine Street from Northeast Eighth Street to 10th Street;
•Second Street from Walnut Street to Jefferson Street;
•Third Street from Jefferson Street to Nichols Street;
•Sixth Street from Market Street to Nichols Street;
•Bluff Street from Fifth Street to St. Louis Avenue;
•Court Street from Second Street to 10th Street;
•Northeast Eighth Street from Center Street to Bluff Street;
•Eighth Street from Court Street to Center Street;
•Ninth Street from Court Street to State Street;
•Center Street from St. Louis Avenue to Ninth Street;
•Jefferson Street from Second Street to 10th Street; and
•Nichols Street from Second Street to Railroad Bridge.
City Administrator Bill Johnson said he and Mayor LeRoy Benton took a trip around the city Tuesday morning to view sidewalks and review the engineering department's list. Johnson said there were streets that they found to be in good shape and others missing from the list that were in need of repair. The list still needs to further consideration from the city council. Johnson requested that the council members go throughout their four wards and find which sidewalks they believe need repair.
The project may include only certain portions of streets. For streets with sidewalks on both sides, Johnson said the council will also need to decide if it wants to fix both. Ward II Councilwoman Mary Rehklau said she would like to see both sides receive updating. Steve Moore, Ward IV councilman, said if the city chooses to repair one side of the sidewalk, then the funding can be stretched farther and cover more sidewalks. Hayes said the council could choose to fix the sidewalks on the side of the road with odd-numbered addresses one year and even-numbered addresses the following, or vice versa.
"This is the first year we're doing this so we're definitely looking at the worst," Johnson said.
When the council makes more decisions on the project details, it will be able to move forward for bidding.
The council approved the 2015 asphalt overlay priority list on Tuesday. The projected grand total for the annual overlay project, which has a budget of about $400,000, totaled to more than $363,500. Streets included on the overlay priority list are:
•Perry Lane from Lane Street to Apache Drive;
•Apache Drive from Perry Lane to Bradley Lane;
•Churchill Drive from West Chestnut Street to Business Highway 54;
•Old Jefferson City Road from Signpainter Road to Cote Sans Dessein Road;
•Thatcher Street from Seventh Street north to end;
•Arrow Street from Cote Sans Dessein Road east to end;
•Airway Drive from Route F west to city limits;
•15th Street from Ewing Avenue to Westminster Avenue;
•North Monroe from 14th Street north to end;
•Ewing Avenue from 12th Street to 15th Street;
•Jefferson Street from 10th Street north to end;
•Walnut Street from Seventh Street to Eighth Street;
•Eighth Avenue from Walnut Street to Jefferson Street;
•Ninth Street from Court Street to Jefferson Street;
•Industrial Drive from Westminster Avenue to Bluff Street;
•Paschall Drive from Westminster Avenue to McBride Field Parking Lot; and
•The Market Street Parking Lot.