Sidewalk Committee Recommends $85,000 First Phase by Nancy Wood, December 15, 2011,
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Sidewalk Committee Recommends $85,000 First Phase

by Nancy Wood

After several months of public meetings and analysis of the need for sidewalks in the West Villiage, the Sidewalk Committee presented its final report to the Selectboard Monday night, December 12. David Marshall spoke for the committee and outlined proposed phases that over time would result in sidewalks from Greenbush Road to Route 7.
The committee recommends a first phase to be constructed in 2012 at a cost of approximately $85,000. Phase 1 would include two segments that “provide a safe pathway between destinations on the north side of Ferry Road from Greenbush Road to the Little Garden Market and on the south side via crosswalks to the Post Office, Library, and Town Hall. Construction of these two segments provides the most connectivity at the least cost.”
These sidewalks are identified as Segment A from Greenbush Road to the Senior Center at a cost of $56,791, and Segment B from the Senior Center to Little Garden Market, including a slight relocation of the existing crosswalk between the Library and the Charlotte Children’s Center for $27,992.
The primary annual maintenance cost would be for snow removal, which the committee suggests can be “handled best by either a hand operated snow-blower or a small sidewalk plow. The work could be done on a volunteer basis, but to insure consistency and regularity and to maximize efficiency, the Committee recommends the town contract with a local provider for this service.”
How will the project be funded? The Committee recommends Charlotte locally fund Phase I “to provide the greatest benefit for the least cost. If the Town were to seek outside funding, there would be additional expense for more detailed studies and a significant time delay in constructing the sidewalks with little additional benefit to the Town.”
The committee provided two options for local funding to be considered by the Selectboard for a vote at Town Meeting on March 6, 2012. One would be for the Town to include $85,000 in the Town’s 2012-2013 budget. An alternative is to present two articles for Town Meeting, the first to approve construction of Phase I and the second to approve funding of an estimated dollar amount or an increase to the tax rate by one cent for one year.
A one-cent increase in the tax rate would raise about $93,000. The increase in property taxes on a $500,000 residence would be $50.
Why does the Committee recommend the construction of sidewalks in the West Village? Safety was a recurring concern expressed during the public work sessions, in responses to the survey and in other communications received. The Committee feels that construction of sidewalks is needed to create a safe environment for pedestrians along this busy stretch of Ferry Road. The existing Town Plan calls for development in Charlotte to be concentrated in village areas. In order to promote this vision, the supporting infrastructure needs to be in place. Although pedestrian counts were not available the Committee did hear anecdotal accounts of numerous people walking in the Village almost every day year round. Of those that attended the Committee’s first public work session, all but one attendee favored the addition of sidewalks or other forms of improved pedestrian circulation along Ferry Road.
The Committee anticipates that added benefits of the project will be traffic calming and an improved sense of community in this section of the village. Ferry Road is a heavily used vehicular route connecting Route 7 and the Charlotte/Essex ferry. The committee found that the Ferry Road right-of-way is 66 feet wide, adequate to accommodate sidewalks. Based on a traffic study in November, it is estimated that the average annual daily traffic count is 3,100 vehicles, the highest traffic volume of all of Charlotte’s town roads. Approximately four and 1/2 percent of the daily traffic in the project area consists of trucks, and commuter through-traffic to the ferry makes up a high percentage of the total. The 85th percentile average speed of traffic in the project area is 12 MPH over the posted speed limit of 25 MPH.
The Report of the Ferry Road Sidewalks Committee is posted on the Town’s website at charlottevt.org or at the Town Hall.