By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
CHINA GROVE ó Residents who are concerned about new sidewalks going on their streets will get detailed information at a Monday workshop.
Planners and engineers working on the more than $600,000 project will be at the Community Memorial Building, 412 S. Myrtle St. from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday.
Town officials say the planners will have detailed street maps that will show what if any impact the sidewalks will have on individual properties.
The plan to put in miles of new sidewalks with a federal grant has drawn opposition, including a petition with hundreds of names.
Town Manager Bill Pless contends the sidewalks won’t have an adverse impact on most property owners.
Pless is encouraging all of the property owners on the streets targeted for sidewalks to attend the Monday session and get the correct information.
He contends that much of the opposition has come from misinformation spread by people who don’t have the facts.
Many of the opponents have taken issue with the selection of streets for new sidewalks. They contend that the sidewalks should go in areas of higher pedestrian traffic, including Church Street from Main Street to U.S. 29 and the North Main Street area north of China Grove Middle School.
Earlier this month, town officials said they cannot change the plan at this point. If any other sidewalks on the list are taken off, the money will revert to the state and federal grant.
Streets that will be included, along with the total linear feet of sidewalks planned for each section, are:
– Section A ó Centerview, Chapel, Blackwelder and Keller, 3,830 feet;
– Section B ó Park, Elizabeth and Clinton 5,100 feet;
– Section C ó Bostian, 5,500 feet;
– Section D ó Stokes and Highland Ridge, 5,200 feet;
– Section E ó West Vance, Mitchell, Wilson and Laurel, 6,500 feet;
– Section F ó Kirk, 3,300 feet;
– Section G ó Washington, Klondale and East Liberty, 2,750 feet.
Contact Jessie Burchette at 704-797-4254.