[July 27, 2011] Tight budget causes sidewalk dilemma Tweet CARY, Jul 26, 2011 (The Cary News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Some Cary Town Council members and residents have called for sidewalks along roads and intersections that they deem dangerous. But their wishes have been restricted by a small sidewalk budget and slowed development. In recent weeks, council members and residents have said pedestrians can't safely walk a two-lane section of Louis Stephens Drive. But when the town board discussed a possible mile-long sidewalk project for the area last week, they found that its $750,000 budget would consume the town's sidewalk funding for the entire fiscal year. Ultimately, the council put the project on Cary's " to do" list of potential sidewalks, and asked the town staff to investigate sidewalks and the money that funds them. The quandary set off a debate about the priority the town should place on pedestrian improvements. "We have several problem areas around town," said Councilwoman Jennifer Robinson. "We have been waiting for something to happen, for development to come, for these things to get built." The stretch of Louis Stephens Drive in question runs south from Green Hope Elementary School, through rural fields near the Riggsbee Farm subdivision. The proposed sidewalk would end near a cluster of houses and shops on High House Road and would connect other segments of sidewalks. Less development In years past, developers building subdivisions on those lots would pay for sidewalks near their projects. But with less new construction during the recession, the road has been unfriendly to walkers. Councilwoman Julie Robison said the town should look past the cost: "We don't evaluate, we don't assess that one, because of the magnitude, because of the scope," she said. "I think that there should be pedestrian access." Councilwoman Gale Adcock said the town must be careful in its spending decisions: "We took so many, many projects and set them aside," she said, referring to dozens of capital projects the town froze late in 2009. "You're really eroding those really tough decisions we made," Adcock said. Councilman Jack Smith added: "We've struggled with trying to find that balance between not increasing our spending, not increasing our taxes." Smith and other council members suggested that the board review a set of possible sidewalk improvements. The town staff has recommended that the town add the Louis Stephens sidewalk to the sidewalk priority list, which ranks projects in importance based on a rubric. "It gives a fair airing to where sidewalks ought to be," said Town Manager Ben Shivar. The town's other options included ordering direct funding of the specific sidewalk project instead of throwing it in the bag with the others. Councilman Don Frantz thinks the council should leave many decisions about sidewalks to its staff. "We're headed down a slippery slope when we start getting involved with all these projects," he said. But Adcock argued that there simply wasn't enough money in the town's designated sidewalk fund. The town would have to spend the entire $500,000 fund for the year to build the project; instead, she suggested, Cary might need extra money for the project. "Without extra funding," she said, "we're demolishing the sidewalk fund for 18 months." Crafting a plan The town's staff will craft suggestions of how to spend the year's sidewalk allotment in the next few months. And the council will approve a final decision in the fall. Robison said the town could fund the project and others by taking on bond funding. The town has the power to take out about $48.3 million in bonds that were approved by voters in 2003. The debt-taking authority voters gave the town expires in April 2013. Cary voters approved the bond when times were better, Robison said. "But they did approve those funds for capital projects," she said. "These are the types of projects that our citizens really care about." [email protected] or 919-460-2608 To see more of the Cary News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.carynews.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, The Cary News, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]