We want to make the Downtown section of Davis much more walkable and safe,” Tomson said.
By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
Governor Jim Justice announced over $19 million in grant allocations for outdoor recreation projects across the State. Included on the list was the Town of Davis who secured $100,000 to be used in a project slated to replace and install new sidewalks along the Town’s main street of William Ave.
Town of Davis Mayor Al Tomson said the project is slated to be completed in two phases. The grand allocation from the State, according to Tomson, is being delegated to the first phase of the project, design. “This is really a project that is in two phases,” Tomson said. “The first phase is design and the second phase is actually the build.”
The grant allocation is being applied to the repair of existing sidewalks and the design of new sidewalks along William Avenue, according to Tomson. “This grant was awarded for the design of repair of existing sidewalks and the design of new sidewalks,” Tomson said.
Tomson said the Town’s goal is to design safer sidewalks. The replacement and construction of new sidewalks, Tomson said, would be included in future grants. “They need to be designed to be safer and then replacements can be built in subsequent grants,” Tomson said.
According to Tomson, the design plan will include new sidewalks from the main business district that connect to Camp 70 road, as well as extending the sidewalks to the ball field on the other edge of town. The new sidewalks, Tomson said, would one day connect to the proposed trail between Davis and Thomas to run parallel to Route 32. “But we also want to extend the sidewalks from where the shops and restaurants are, all the way past the new Shop ‘n Save to connect to Camp 70 road,” Tomson said. “And then the other direction, we want to go from about where the Fire Station is, new sidewalks all the way to the ball field that’s at the edge of town and that would ultimately some day connect to a trail that links Davis and Thomas.”
Tomson said that the Town of Davis plans to seek further grant money to complete the project. According to Tomson, the window to apply for the grant sought by the Town began accepting applications on May 1st. “And then we will apply for the construction piece of the sidewalk project,” Tomson said.
While there is no definitive timeline for completion, Tomson said he expected the project to be completed within the next one to two years. “One to two years would probably be a reasonable estimate,” Tomson said.
“We want to make the Downtown section of Davis much more walkable and safe,” Tomson said.
