Town awards contract to design new sidewalks

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PROSPECT — New sidewalks downtown are on their way.

The town recently signed a contract with the Cheshire-based engineering firm Milone & MacBroom to design new sidewalks, according to Mayor Robert Chatfield.

One sidewalk will cross in front of Town Hall, along the side between the building and the driveway, and connect with the sidewalk that leads down to Long River Middle School. The design work will also include a new sidewalk for the median at the corner of Routes 68 and 69, Chatfield said. This sidewalk will connect with the crosswalk at the stoplight for the intersection of Routes 68 and 69, he said.

The design work will cost approximately $20,700, Chatfield said. According to Chatfield, $20,000 will come from the town’s capital nonrecurring account, which has funds from a surplus in the 2014-15 school budget. The other $700 will come from the construction account of the town’s budget, he said.

Once the design is done the town will begin the actual physical work of installing the sidewalks. Chatfield said the work will be done in three phases, starting with the sidewalk in front of Town Hall.

The cost of building the sidewalks will be funded by a $125,000 Local Capital Improvement Program grant the town received from the state, he said.

Chatfield wasn’t sure if the town would be able to complete the project before winter.

Chatfield said the town began looking into replacing the sidewalks because the current ones are in disrepair and not up to code with the Americans with Disabilities Act. However, the main driving force is ensuring the safety of all pedestrians, he said.

“The big thing is safety for people who walk around the center or for the kids when they come of school and go over to the gas station to get a soda or snack. The bottom line is safety for all who would walk by,” Chatfield said.