Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure Sidewalks topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sandy Springs council backs $200,000 gap-fill threshold, advances sidewalk priority list for master plan
Summary
Councilors approved inserting a prioritized sidewalk candidate list into the city's transportation master plan and gave staff consensus to raise the gap-fill project threshold from $50,000 to $200,000, allowing six candidate segments (totaling about $888,000) to be advanced if funding is directed to the program.
City staff presented an update on the Capital Sidewalk Program Sept. 16 and the council gave consensus to insert a priority-scored sidewalk list into the transportation master plan and to raise the gap-fill funding threshold from $50,000 to $200,000.
Public Works presenter Wesley Waters told council the city maintains a priority-scored list, a gap-fill program and a neighborhood program; the staff presentation focused on the priority list and the gap-fill candidates. Waters said residents could increase a segment's right-of-way score by providing nonbinding letters of intent to donate right of way; Lake Forest Drive's Burdett-to-Mount Perrin segment moved higher on the funded list after nearby owners supplied documentation, Waters said.
Why it matters: raising the gap-fill threshold would make several short sidewalk fills feasible without separately packaging larger design efforts. Waters provided a set of six candidate gap-fill segments estimated to cost about $888,000 in total; he said the city's capital sidewalk reserve includes roughly $1 million that could advance those segments if council directs staff to do so.
Council members pressed staff on cost assumptions. Waters described the program's per-linear-foot budget number as a high-level planning estimate that includes contingency, curb and gutter, right-of-way, lighting and other elements; council members expressed surprise at per-foot planning figures and asked staff to provide district-level summaries and clarify per-segment assumptions. Staff said certain segments with steep slopes require retaining walls and additional infrastructure, which increases unit cost.
Staff discussion addressed implementation hurdles: most candidate segments require right-of-way agreements or easement dedications, which may lengthen delivery; Waters estimated six gap-fill projects could take about 18 months to design and construct, primarily because of right-of-way negotiation and utility adjustments. Councilors asked whether design-build contracting, bundling of small segments, or temporary (lower-cost) sidewalks were options to reduce unit costs; staff said they would explore procurement and bundling strategies and noted some gap-fill projects were already grouped as single design projects when efficient.
The council also discussed accessibility and coordination with GDOT for segments near state projects; Waters said staff is tracking overlapping GDOT work to avoid duplication. Council asked staff to provide a district-by-district summary of priority candidates and to return a formal recommendation for adopting the priority list into the transportation master plan.
What council decided: the mayor asked if any member objected to the $200,000 gap-fill threshold and the proposed candidate list; no objection was raised and the chair ordered the change by consensus. Waters said staff would proceed to program the candidate segments and update the sidewalk web page and the transportation master plan materials.
What's next: staff will post the materials online, refine cost estimates, provide district summaries on the next update, and report back on procurement approaches and timelines. Waters said staff will also pursue right-of-way outreach where donation letters may improve candidates' scores and help move projects into funded tiers.
