Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Quorum Court updated on sidewalk situation

Throughout the construction of sidewalks in downtown Prescott there have been questions concerning the corners.

Monday, Nov. 10, Jon Chadwell, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office told the Nevada County Quorum Court what's going on.

He began by saying people will appreciate the sidewalks once the work is done, but the corners won't all be square. Everything, he said, is based on the width of the street.

On Elm Street, there was a need to protect the lights being installed, which is why the islands are there. These islands will eventually be planters.

The old streetlights, he said, literally went through the awning and cast little light on the sidewalk. The new lights are the same kind used elsewhere downtown and aren't as tall. In fact, if the new lights were installed where the old ones were, the lights would be sitting on the awnings and would cast no light on the sidewalk at all. Additionally, with the lights on the awnings, they could become a fire hazard.

Because of this, the lights were moved from their original positions to the curb. The lights on Elm will be th same once the job is done  all having curbing around them to prevent motorists from running into the lights. "This has been the most controversial part of the project. Once we get the street striped, there will be as must room for parking as there was before."

For the corners, he said, the design calls for them to be handicap accessible so wheelchairs can be wheeled onto them easily. This means the slope starts at the edge of the sidewalk. The corners are to be rounded with ramps on two sides.

The contractor, Chadwell said, has done one corner twice, but hadn't gotten it right yet. Therefore, it must be done again. "We want it done right once before doing the others. It will all look nice when it's done."

Chadwell also updated the court on the walking trail project. The grant, he said, has been obtained and the trail will be lighted, again using the shorter streetlights.

The grant was an 80-20 match, but some of the city's and county's part can be in-kind labor. But, he said, the in-kind does not include the land. The city and county will have to enter into an interlocal agreement with the county letting the city have the property by the Nevada County Health Unit.

The walking track will be asphalt and six or seven feet wide, he said. This is to ensure the track being handicap accessible. Overall, the project will cost about $60,000, with the track being = mile long.

According to Chadwell, there will be benches at the location so people can sit and rest when they get tired walking.

The lights, he said, will be for both visibility and security. A lot of people walk at night and need to see where they're going, while a well lighted area is a deterrent to vandalism as well.

Preliminary work on the walking trail will start early next year, with actual construction to begin in June. The project will be done over the summer, he said.

Chadwell also addressed the rural water project, saying a lot of pipe had been moved with a lot of people making calls about it.

The pipe, he said, is being laid at a good pace because of the spate of warm, dry weather this fall. Currently, the construction company is ahead of schedule in the areas being worked.

There was a problem with the building for Prescott Rubber, Inc., at the Prescott Industrial Park. The problem was with the electrical system in the building, he said, but this has been corrected.

The equipment is being moved in and all should be ready for preliminary operations to begin in a couple of weeks.

According to Chadwell, more than 130 people have applied for the 12 jobs available at Prescott Rubber, Inc. "People would prefer to work closer to home and not have to travel," he said.

The court approved taxes for school districts and municipalities in the county. These are not new taxes, but ones which must be approved annually for them to remain on the books.