PIERCETON — The Pierceton Town Council and project managers held an informational meeting Thursday about a sidewalk project in town limits.
The town is planning to construct a 6-foot-wide sidewalk, with Americans With Disabilities Act ramps, on School Street to Third Street, and then on Third Street from School Street to Catholic Street. Pierceton is one of three towns in Kosciusko County participating in the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs' Hoosier Enduring Legacy Program.
Prior to discussions, Michiana Area Council of Governments Senior Community Development Planner Donny Ritsema summarized the project. Including council members and project managers, about 20 people attended the meeting.
Chad Salzbrenner, senior project manager at Fleis & VandenBrink, said the goal is to have the sidewalks’ construction completed by spring 2025, with the project costing $501,428. Pierceton received $280,042 from OCRA for the project, with the remainder to be funded through monies Pierceton received through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Salzbrenner said the project will impact 12 trees and that there will be concrete drive aprons for those whose properties are near the proposed sidewalk, which is in the right-of-way line by about one foot. He also said one utility pole will potentially be relocated.
Preliminary plans for the sidewalk were presented as images for the community to look at and discuss with managers and council members during the meeting.
During the discussion portion of the meeting, several residents expressed concerns about the project, with some noting that less than 10 students use the current sidewalk in the area to get to school. Citizens also asked questions about the project's specifics in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The purpose of this grant was to help the town in response to the pandemic," said Ritsema. "We had to provide ample opportunities for kids, all types of residents, to get outdoors and to socially distance. All of this is in response to what happened back in 2020. I know it's four years later, but this is something at the time the county and three towns participated in. It's a new program the state started up during that time to help communities to begin to economically recover from the losses they experienced from the pandemic."
Residents also asked about the funds being used for other projects, such as improvements to Pierceton-Washington Township Park. Council said the funds have to be used for the sidewalks’ construction.
"This is an opportunity for a half million dollar investment in our town," said Council President Glenn Hall. "I can't tell you how many people are going to walk down that new sidewalk, but what I can tell you is when people drive through our town and see we have a nice walkway to get through, it's going to attract people who may have children to want to move to our town. It's an investment in our town and for the future."
Hall also noted the council is working on a plan to replace the trees that would be cut down during the project.
The council's next regular meeting is at 6:30 p.m. April 8.