Residents, engineers tell Salisbury council Shoemaker Manor roads need full reconstruction, not patching

Shoemaker Manor residents pressed the Salisbury City Council on April 28 to fund a full reconstruction of their neighborhood streets, saying the pavement and sub-base have deteriorated to the point of public-safety risk.

"We are respectfully requesting the FY26 budget include funding for a full improper reconstruction of our roads, not years down the line but immediately upon budget approval," Paula Donalds said during public comment. "This is no longer a routine maintenance issue. It has become a matter of public safety."

Donald s and other residents described long-standing problems dating to the 1990s and said earlier patching and pothole repairs will not stop rapid deterioration. Carol Greenwood, president of the Shoemaker Manor Condominium Association, said the association submitted a petition with more than 130 signatures and asked the council for transparency about when and how repairs will happen.

Wicomico County engineer Heather Langford, who said she had inspected the roadway, told council members the existing pavement "is about 1 inch, maybe 1 and a half inches of a top base. No stone, no sub base on top of clay. This is probably 1 of the worst conditions you can be in." Langford said a standard roadway section requires a substantially thicker surface and stone subbase and that attempts to mill-and-overlay the current pavement would likely cause collapse because the existing layer is too thin.

Several residents also raised accessibility and liability concerns. Richard Strass, vice president of the Shoemaker Manor association, said the roads have become hazardous for people with disabilities and that the conditions may create risk under the Americans with Disabilities Act and PROWAG (public right-of-way accessibility guidelines).

Speakers urged the council to add Shoemaker Manor to the city's capital improvement program (CIP) and to prioritize a full reconstruction rather than temporary patches. "No other neighborhood in the city should have to endure this level of neglect," Greenwood said.

Council members and city staff acknowledged the problem and said they would review reconstruction options and funding. Mayor and staff noted the issue is already known to city leadership and that the public comment will be considered during FY26 budget and CIP deliberations.

Residents were advised of upcoming planning opportunities to reinforce their priorities: the city has scheduled comprehensive-plan focus groups in May and June that officials said can be used to document neighborhood infrastructure needs for future CIP planning.

Ending: The council did not vote on a specific funding measure at the April 28 meeting. Speakers asked the council to place Shoemaker Manor reconstruction in the FY26 CIP and to allocate funds for full rebuilding rather than short-term patching; city staff said the neighborhood's condition will be taken into account as the budget and CIP move forward.