Sidewalk grants awarded

About a dozen Vermont communities, including Springfield, received word Wednesday they will share $2 million in Agency of Transportation grants — most for building new sidewalks.
http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20140206/NEWS02/702069880/0/SEARCH

Published February 6, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Sidewalk grants awarded to Springfield, Putney By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — About a dozen Vermont communities, including Springfield, received word Wednesday they will share $2 million in Agency of Transportation grants — most for building new sidewalks. Springfield will use its $300,000 grant toward a $410,000 project to build a new 2,682-foot sidewalk on South Street leading to Springfield High School and the Howard Dean Education Center. The town is matching the project with $105,000 to $110,000. Putney, which also received the maximum $300,000 grant, will build a 1,300-foot lighted walkway linking Route 5 to Landmark College, according to Town Manager Cynthia Stoddard. Other funded projects include repairing the roof of the North Bennington train depot, at a cost of $74,000, and Rutland City received $51,000 for the installation of three flashing beacons and sidewalk curb ramps. Other towns or cities receiving sidewalk grants include St. Albans, Williston, Hyde Park, Cabot, Montpelier, Readsboro and the village of North Bennington. Six more towns received planning grants for similar projects, including Springfield, Hartford, Killington, Wilmington, Fair Haven and Burke. Springfield Town Manager Robert Forguites said the existing sidewalk leading to Springfield High School is in very poor condition, and the rebuilt, wider sidewalk would comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Forguites said he doubts the project will be built in 2014, since it still has to be engineered and put out to bid. Springfield is using the $51,000 in its sidewalk account for the project, and has included another $55,000 in the proposed town budget. Springfield’s planning grant will allow the town to study the sidewalks leading to Elm Hill School, the town’s primary elementary school, Forguites said. Putney’s project, which will go along Vinegar Lane, is the third phase of a three-part sidewalk project along Route 5. Stoddard said the first phase, completed in 2012, included a sidewalk from the Putney Food Co-op to the center of the village. The second phase, which hasn’t been built yet, will rebuild the sidewalk from the Putney General Store past Basketville. The third phase will link to the second phase, and Stoddard said she hopes to coordinate the two grants as much as possible. The Vinegar Lane project is costly because it involves crossing a large gully, she said. Other projects funded under the AOT grants include $300,000 toward 4,016 feet of sidewalk on Main Street, East Main Street, School Street and Tunnel Street in Readsboro. Montpelier received $248,000 toward 2,605 feet of sidewalk on Elm Street, Northfield Street and Towne Hill Road.