Milton committee narrows sidewalk priorities, asks staff to cost a loop and return with options

MILTON, Ga. — City staff presented a prioritized list of sidewalk and trail projects at the Oct. 2 Trail Committee meeting and recommended focusing initial spending on a loop that would link existing sidewalks, parks and neighborhoods while using gravel where feasible to stretch roughly $3.5 million–$4 million in TSPLOST funding.

Committee members and staff said the package presented would not exhaust the identified needs across the city but would produce a tangible, deliverable set of projects within the current budget. Staff asked the committee to endorse a direction: cost the loop shown in the presentation, provide assumptions for gravel versus paved surfaces, and identify which additional short connections to schools and parks could fit under the available funding. The committee asked staff to return with those figures at the next meeting, tentatively Nov. 13. No formal vote to allocate the funds was recorded at the Oct. 2 meeting.

Why this matters: the city has roughly $3.5–$4 million earmarked for sidewalks through a transportation-local-option sales tax (TSPLOST) and faces tradeoffs among cost, right-of-way acquisition, construction time and community impacts. Committee members emphasized delivering visible progress quickly while prioritizing school access and high-use park connections.

What staff presented: Public works staff showed a map that combined the existing blueprint, projects already in design or construction, and a set of…