Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sidewalks Connectivity topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council debates Ravenna Street $1.1M sidewalk and whether to reprioritize the connectivity plan
Summary
Councilors questioned whether to delay the Ravenna Street sidewalk (estimated at about $1.1 million) amid budget scrutiny, while others argued the project has been in the five-year plan and commitments deserve follow-through.
A proposed new sidewalk on Ravenna Street from South Hayden Park to Stow Road drew a lengthy discussion at the May 13 workshop after staff identified the project cost at roughly $1.1 million.
Doctor Getz raised the question of delaying the project while the city sorts near-term budget pressures, saying, ‘‘Since we are talking about pinching pennies, it seems to me that this would be a great place to pinch some pennies and to put this off for a year or two.’’ Other councilors responded that the sidewalk has been in the city’s five-year plan for years and that residents have waited for this connection. One councilor noted an $8 million fund carryover for fire-related work and cautioned against reactionary cancellation of planned projects.
Councilors debated options for reprioritizing the connectivity plan (a longer-term re-ranking of sidewalk projects over seven to ten years), but many agreed that the city should not abruptly cancel work already budgeted and publicly promised. Staff said design authorization would allow the city to proceed to detailed plans and that specific construction timing would be reviewed as budget discussions continue.
Decision and next steps: The item remains on the consent agenda for May 20; councilors can pull it for separate discussion and vote. Staff was asked to prepare options for reprioritizing lower-priority connectivity projects and to present trade-offs for council review.
