The city of McMinnville is working on sidewalk assessments as part of its commitment to downtown development.
Community Development Director David Baird said that the city budgeted some $50,000 for sidewalk improvements. He said that the need came about from an increased desire to have better walkable access to downtown.
“Some areas are in good condition but a lot of streets you’ll have one sidewalk that’s good for a couple of house lengths and then after that, you’ll have an area that’s not as good,” Baird said. “So we’re just trying to assess where we need to make immediate infrastructure improvements.”
Baird said that sidewalk improvements have become a much larger need than in previous years. He said that this is due to the increased amount of traffic. Baird said that it’s something the city has looked at and thought about for a number of years, but has decided the time is now to move on it.
Baird said that some the work will be done in house as well.
“There’s one area of town, West Main sTreet, that they are already looking at and looking for a time where they can actually do the work itself as well,” Baird said. “”
Baird said that assessments are also helpful when it comes to exploring future grants. He said that having actual data can make grant applications more competitive.
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