City prepares for new sidewalks
The city of McMinnville will be adding new sidewalks now that a TDOT Enhancement Grant in the amount of $125,360 has been awarded.
In September 2006, then-city planner Jack Qualls applied for the TDOT Enhancement Grant from the state. At that time, he began to examine areas around McMinnville that would be suitable to use the grant funds. He developed a ranking system of good, poor and average sidewalks to determine need in different areas.
However, the grant can only be used for new sidewalks and not repairing or replacing old ones. This being the case, a list of possible areas in which new sidewalks would be used to connect existing sidewalks was made.
While making the decision on where to place the sidewalks, the city looked for the most traveled locations in town which are without a sidewalk, and what areas would provide the highest amount of benefit possible to pedestrians per square foot of sidewalk construction.
Once installed, the sidewalks will allow pedestrians the ability to walk from the Civic Center to the Barren Fork Greenway without getting off of a sidewalk, as well as connecting gaps in the current sidewalk infrastructure in order to give pedestrians the ability to better walk around town.
Required in the grant will be an 80-20 split. Because of this, the city will have to match with $31,340. Most, if not all, of the match will be made with in-kind work done by the city’s Public Works Department as it will be installing the sidewalks. Precise construction dates are currently undecided.