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City of Woodstock plans sidewalk construction
Woodstock City Council members approved design engineering services associated with sidewalk construction as part of a Safe Routes to School grant the city received.
Last year, the city was awarded a similar grant, which was used to construct a sidewalk on South and Dane streets, providing improved travel routes to Westwood and Olson elementary schools.
“A second project was submitted for consideration in the 2011 funding cycle of the Illinois [Safe Routes to School] program,” a staff report stated. “This project was prioritized in collaboration with [Woodstock School District 200] representatives who also assisted with the scheduling and administration of meetings with parents of Dean Street School students and the collection of information pertaining to the number of students walking or riding their bicycles to school based upon existing conditions. This information was required for inclusion in the grant application.”
In February, the city was notified that a $250,000 grant had been awarded, the highest amount granted through the Illinois Department of Transportation program. The funds will pay the entire cost of construction, with no local match required. New sidewalks will be constructed on both sides of Dean Street between Kimball Avenue and Prairie Ridge Drive.
The city must now secure a final cost-sharing agreement with IDOT. At minimum, the agreement requires the preparation of an engineered design, an engineer’s estimate of costs and specifications for bidding. The $38,782 contract approved between the city and Hampton, Lenzini, & Renwick at the May 15 meeting will accomplish these requirements. The city will not be reimbursed for the design engineering services, which are the only cost it will incur.
The city budgeted $25,000 for design engineering in this year’s budget and expects to budget the remainder in the 2013-14 budget.
“Based upon experiences with IDOT on the previous [Safe Routes to Schools] project, design and approval from IDOT is expected to take more than one year,” the staff report stated.
The city is anticipating construction after the school year ends in May 2013.
