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Board reviews sidewalk priority map; members flag brownfield and safety concerns
Summary
Town staff presented a sidewalk request map and scoring matrix showing numerous candidate gaps; board members asked staff to compile costs and prioritize routes, while one member warned an ESL site has contaminated soil that complicates construction.
Town staff presented a compiled list of sidewalk requests and a GIS‑based scoring matrix to the Penfield Town Board on June 17 and asked the board to prioritize routes for budgeting.
“ The public has responded. We’ve compiled the list,” Mark Valentine said as he walked the board through candidate connections and a scoring approach that considered proximity to schools, number of homes and transit stops.
Valentine identified several priority corridors for further budgeting and design: the old Penfield/Penfield Road gaps that would connect to a frequent RTS bus stop, a section near Hatch by Triple Diamond and Plank used by many children commuting to school, Atlantic Avenue to Five Mile Line (Milford Crossing) where residents circulated a petition, and Wayland between Atlantic and Five Mile Line near Shadow Pines to link recreation activity to schools.
Councilman Ling cautioned that an existing gap near an ESL site contains contaminated soil from a former Carriage Cleaners property, which complicates making a standard sidewalk connection there. “There is contaminated soil in that area,” he said, noting the site has been managed with raised planters to avoid digging.
Board members asked staff to roll the map into a cost estimate and return with a prioritized list tied to potential budgets and grant opportunities. Staff said grant rounds such as Safe Routes to School have not been reliably available in recent years but that staff will continue to monitor state DOT and other opportunities.
Next steps: staff will map the requested connections, provide cost estimates and present a prioritized list for board consideration during budget discussions.
