The Jefferson City Council recently took another step toward a possible project endeavor that has multiple benefits. 

At their most recent meeting, the City Council approved a grant application and an engineering contract with Bolton and Menk for a sidewalk project that would be extended from West Central Avenue to the Greene County High School, as a safe pathway for students. City Administrator Scott Peterson explains the reasons why the city is involved with this project, considering that most of it would take place on Greene County School District property. He details that one of the reasons is because the sidewalk would be considered a public use sidewalk and not solely the possession of the school district, as well as one other main reason.

“Would be that there’s a little spur off of it that goes over to the animal shelter and the dog park. So, folks could conceivably walk their dogs out there, get out to the dog parks, let them loose, and get their dogs good and exercised, and walk them on back. So, there is some additional public use that is not related directly to the school.”   

Peterson notes that he has also been working with Greene County Engineer Wade Weiss, who found a potential grant opportunity through the Iowa Department of Transportation Regional Transportation Grant, which would fund about 80 percent of the cost of construction at $250,000. He points out that there are additional costs for engineering services because the grant is using federal funding, for a total of $71,500. Peterson illustrates what Bolton and Menk has to do for the grant application that will likely cost less than $10,000.

“We need to have that preliminary design done and have a preliminary cost estimate. So some of that engineering work would be done before the grant application, but the bulk of that engineering contract occurs after the award of the grant, and final design, and bidding and construction.”    

Peterson adds that the grant application is due in January and if they are not successful, the project would most likely not proceed.