Staff presents Fourth Avenue sidewalk concept; committee reviews crossings, ADA ramps and utility constraints

City staff presented a concept-level plan for the Fourth Avenue sidewalk project to the Sandpoint Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee on Sept. 11, showing infill on the east side of Fourth, new crossings where feasible and connections to the Third Avenue pier.

Eric Brubaker said the plans are at roughly 30% design and that staff wanted committee feedback early in the process. "Before that, Eric got plans just last week from his engineer, so we thought this was a good time to bring it to the committee in the spirit of doing things early," said Paula (staff), and Brubaker added that bringing the plans earlier avoids forcing non-engineers to make engineering decisions.

Why it matters: Fourth Avenue serves multiple pedestrian desire lines and includes the highly used Third Avenue pier. Staff said the project aims to extend sidewalk where feasible, fit crossings where utility poles allow, and make connections that improve pedestrian access to the pier and adjacent neighborhoods.

Project details: The concept puts new sidewalk primarily on the east side of Fourth Avenue with receiving ramps and crossings at intersections where geometry and utilities permit. Brubaker and public works staff noted that some locations lack space for ramps because of utility poles, transformers or steep grades; one location north of Michigan may require significant regrading and a cost estimate on the order of tens of thousands of dollars to make ADA-compliant ramps.

"In an ideal world, if we had millions of dollars, we could come in and fix them all, but we don't," Brubaker said. Staff also said some intersections will require coordination with Avista to relocate poles or with the city forester regarding trees in the path of a ramp.

Funding and priorities: Staff said the sidewalk projects are primarily funded from resort city tax and that in-lieu fees can sometimes be used to improve intersections; the committee urged staff to consider truncated domes and full crossings at key intersections where funding allows. Committee members noted high pedestrian volumes near the pier and asked staff to prioritize connections that serve frequent users.

Next steps: Staff will review committee comments, coordinate with utilities where possible and produce written responses to the committee's comments. The meeting lost a quorum shortly after the Fourth Avenue discussion and staff said they could carry comments forward to the next meeting if necessary.