Council moves forward on Ravenna Street sidewalk design amid budget questions

City staff briefed council on a proposed new sidewalk along Ravenna Street from South Hayden Park to Stowe Road and said the project is included in the capital budget for the year.

Tom Sheridan, a city staff member, told council the design and construction cost estimate is "$1,100,000" and that the amount is in the current budget. "It's a million dollars. Is that? 1,100,000.0 is in the budget," Sheridan said in response to a council question.

Council members debated whether to delay the project to ease budget pressure. Councilor Kowalski asked whether connectivity projects could be reprioritized; Councilor Sutton and others argued the sidewalk had been in the city's five‑year plan for years and that residents had been awaiting it. "These folks have been waiting over 5 years for this sidewalk," Sutton said. Other councilors stressed the city's conservative budgeting and fund balances and said the administration is monitoring capital priorities closely.

Why it matters: The Ravenna Street sidewalk has been part of long‑standing connectivity and safety plans. Staff said the city will try to avoid disturbing future utility work and will coordinate with developers; design review will consider horizontal separation requirements for water and sanitary lines.

Next steps: The sidewalk design item is on the consent agenda for the May 20 meeting as authorization to move forward with design work. Staff said final design will seek to minimize future conflicts with utilities and will follow standard county and EPA separation guidance for water and sanitary installations.

Ending: Council did not remove the item from the consent agenda during the workshop, but members asked staff to evaluate connectivity program priorities for a longer horizon so council can weigh tradeoffs among capital projects.