Delhi News Bureau

WALTON — Walton residents can look forward to new sidewalks thanks to a $100,000 federal grant that was obtained through the state Department of Transportation, according to Walton Mayor Carl Vogel.

For more than a decade, the Walton Village Board has been budgeting $20,000 to $25,000 annually to restore sections of the village sidewalks, but the grant money will speed up the process.

"The grant money is not in lieu of the village funding, it is in addition to what we are already doing, but it will help us accelerate our efforts. We can now plan to replace sidewalks in the next year or two that we might not have been able to get to for five or six years," Vogel said.

The sidewalks targeted in the grant application include Howell Street, Liberty Street and East Street.

"We had to specify certain areas in the grant application, but as time and funds permit, we will be broadening the scope of the project," Vogel said.

Vogel said the village's sidewalk replacement program has been very popular with residents.

"It's one of the most recognized projects local government is able to provide. Everybody seems to identify with the sidewalks in some way, whether they are walkers or people shoveling snow, who appreciate the smooth surface. And they just plain look good. It's nice to see the new sidewalks against the new spring grass," Vogel added.

Walton's planning board launched the original sidewalk replacement program.

"The sidewalk restoration started in earnest in 1991. It was the result of a suggestion from the village's planning board. They did a walk around and developed a priority list of the sidewalks that needed attention first," Vogel said.

Vogel estimates that there are 10 to 12 miles of sidewalk in the village. He noted that there are also areas that don't have sidewalks.

Deputy Village Clerk John Clark said the Public Works Department, under the direction of Joe Cetta, builds the new sidewalks.

"The village crew does it all. When they are ready they just have the concrete delivered," Clark said.

Vogel said the sidewalks on the original priority list were completed by 1995. The village board and planning board members and the public works crew then identified and prioritized the next areas that needed replacement.

The concrete sidewalks have a life expectancy of 15 to 25 years, depending on the weather and the care they receive.

"We ask that people use an ice melt product and not rock salt on the sidewalks in the winter. Here we are in the throes of the biggest storm we have had in 30 years, and we are urging folks to take good care of the sidewalks and keep them free of snow and ice, but on the other hand, rock salt diminishes concrete sidewalks in a big way," Vogel said.

Vogel said the village might eventually make plans to put in sidewalks where none now exist.

"The grant will give us some options that we didn't previously think about," Vogel said.

If you have some good news you'd like to share, please call Managing Editor Cary Brunswick at 432-1000 or (800) 721-1000; e-mail him at cary@thedailystar.com; fax him at 432-5707; or write to him at P.O. Box 250, Oneonta, NY 13820.