SANFORD — Students, staff and others who would rather walk to the new Sanford High School and Regional Technical Center than take a bus or their car will have en easier time of it than originally expected.
There will be sidewalk from the Main Street entrance to Alumni Drive down to the school — and the state has committed to paying the lion’s share of the tab.
The project had originally been included in the plans, but “value-engineering” meant a change, City Manager Steve Buck told the City Council on Tuesday.
“As the project further developed and costs were estimated, the determination was to build the required pedestrian access along the shortest build-route of Mayflower Drive on top of the utilities corridor as constructed,” Buck told the council.
But the Sanford Trails Committee, Public Works, and Safe Routes to Schools all continued to advocate for a sidewalk to be constructed along Alumni Drive .
The good news is that the state Department of Education on has agreed to fund the sidewalk, provided the city pays for design and additional environmental permitting, if it is required.
Cost of the project is about $150,000, with the city contributing about $10,000, utilizing the current civil engineers and site contractor already working on the school project.
The council unanimously agreed to the proposal.
The new high school and regional technical center will be complete in August and open for classes in September.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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