Date: Fri 25-Apr-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

borough-sidewalks-burgesses

Full Text:

with photo : Burgesses Press For Sidewalk `Loop' In The Borough

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

Members of the Borough Board of Burgesses believe the center of Newtown needs

to become more pedestrian-friendly, so they are looking to build more

sidewalks. Safety is their top priority.

On Monday, officials from the borough met with the Board of Selectmen to

propose the addition of some 3,500 feet of sidewalk within an "inner-loop" of

the borough.

The project is expected to cost around $200,000, and the borough is asking the

town to fund $125,000 of it through Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCIP)

funds. LoCIP funds are made up mostly of state sales taxes, so there is no

added cost to the taxpayer.

Calling it an excellent move for the town, Glover Avenue resident Jay Maher,

co-chair of the board's sidewalk committee, said the new, five-feet wide

concrete sidewalks would be built along the southern part of the eastern side

of Main Street (525 feet), along the north side of Glover Avenue (1,250 feet),

the west side of Queen Street (800 feet) and then up Church Hill Road on the

north side (875 feet). These would connect with the existing sidewalks on the

upper part of Main Street.

He said the area is well-traveled by residents, including students walking to

school or the library.

Developer Joseph Kasper's plans to build a Big Y supermarket on Queen Street

include a blueprint for the construction of sidewalks in front of his shopping

center. The borough sidewalk, built sometime later, would likely connect with

Mr Kasper's walkway.

"We want to do this right. We're very proud of our Main Street," said Borough

Warden Joan Crick. "The borough has talked about sidewalks for years."

The plan received the support of the selectmen Monday, however, they have

requested that the Borough Board of Burgesses hire a consultant/architect to

make sure that the estimated $200,000 figure is at least in the ballpark.

After all, there are some problem areas, including the bridging of streams and

the steep slope in front of the Shepard residence at the corner of Main Street

and Glover Avenue.

Upon the request of Mrs Crick, Town Engineer Ron Bolmer said he would assist

the borough with some of the design work as a cost-saving measure. He said

quite a bit of survey work would be required, including rights-of-way, widths,

amount of fill needed, etc. The town has much of the site information already

in hand, compiled during the sewer project.

"I don't think there's a single person here that doesn't support this. Let's

spend a few bucks and design it right. We should be back here very shortly,"

said First Selectman Bob Cascella.

The borough is prepared to contribute $15,000 to the cause, with the remaining

$60,000 to be raised through donations from shopping center tenants, residents

and organizations.

"Realistically, we would like to start right now. However, it's going to take

some time to raise money," said Betsy Kenyon, sidewalk committee co-chair.

"We'd like to get it done in two years."

The borough had hoped to build a sidewalk on the south side of Church Hill

Road, however, the steep grade alongside Trinity Church posed problems.

Mrs Crick said sidewalks are needed in many areas within the borough, but

money is a constraint. Other streets that have been considered include Elm

Drive and The Boulevard.

"Hopefully, this thing can start and keep going," she said. "It would be great

if we could be in partnership with the town."

The one-square mile borough has 1,800 residents.