Fri, Aug 29 2008
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Published July 18, 2008 12:38 pm - City looking to improve sidewalks By BOB GIBBINS TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS — Tahlequah is making some strides in sidewalk improvements and construction, but as with many other things these days, economics are playing a more prominent role than before.
Street Commissioner Mike Corn said this week that downtown visitors will notice a number of sidewalk and drainage improvements. Some residential improvements have also been made. The commissioner spent time Tuesday checking the work performed on a new stretch of sidewalk on the west side of North Cedar Avenue. That project had a price tag of approximately $20,000, Corn said. “The prices on material and everything associated with building a sidewalk is going up,” he explained. The new sidewalk passes several residences and extends from near Cherokee Elementary School to the area of the NSU campus. Corn said another project in the works is in the Crafton Street area. “I get $50,000 a year for sidewalk and drainage work,” Corn said. “The costs of building a new sidewalk are expensive. Concrete’s $100 a yard.” Corn has 18 employees, but some of those are assigned to duties like working in the shop, on the sweeper and mowing during the summer months. “That only leaves me about nine [employees] to work on the streets,” he said. “We’re doing what we can as our time and money will allow.” Corn said the city occasionally contracts out part of a sidewalk project, if funds are available. Local resident Shane Taylor said he recently returned home from Hawaii, and while he was there, he noticed several people riding bikes and jogging. He saw some of the same things when he visited Norman last summer. “Well, when I got back from Hawaii, I started thinking, ‘How come no one in this town ever walks anywhere or anything like that?’” Taylor said. “I noticed when I was walking home from the high school track this town has minimal sidewalks. Those we have are in the middle of the block or [are] so torn up you couldn’t run or bike without hurting yourself.” Taylor said more residential sidewalks may encourage people to get out and walk. But Assistant City Administrator Kevin Smith said building sidewalks is no easy feat. “There’s more to planning and designing a sidewalk than just laying some cement or asphalt on the ground,” Smith said. “The city [government and departments] will continue to be aggressive in providing sidewalks throughout the city in accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act standards.” The city has relied on grant monies for some sidewalk construction, such as the brick sidewalks downtown. Smith said the city received a $150,000 trails grant that will give area residents a place to walk. 
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