Around Osceola
Home Archived Digital Publications 2011
City wants comment on sidewalk master plan PDF Print E-mail
County News
Thursday, 23 December 2010 08:04
By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer
St. Cloud Public Works is seeking residents’ comments on its sidewalk master plan, which would provide connectivity to current sidewalks to and from subdivisions, shopping centers and recreational areas as well as safety along popular pedestrian corridors.
The 20-year plan would add 15 miles to city sidewalks and three miles to existing Osceola County segments that stretch into St. Cloud, costing between $1.3 million to $2.2 million over the next two decades. Currently, 143 miles of sidewalks wind through St. Cloud.
Todd Swingle, Public Works administrator, said his department wants feedback from residents regarding the proposed plan.
The city on Nov. 29 sent out nearly 5,000 postcards to residents living in the “grid” where the majority of the proposed sidewalks would be installed. Only 20 responses had been received as of last week. Residents can visit www.stcloud.org to view the plan in its entirety. The comment period ends Dec. 31.
“Sidewalks have always had no middle ground,” Swingle said. “Some people want the connectivity and others have the perception it will bring more people into their yard.”
This notion holds true for the residents who got a sidewalk along Lakeshore Boulevard from Florida Avenue to Michigan Avenue in October. Residents came to several St. Cloud City Council meetings this fall to voice their concerns about crowd build-up during city-sponsored events.
Bob Meyer, who lives on Lakeshore Boulevard be-tween Florida and Michigan avenues, said he likes the new sidewalk but wants the city to add additional crosswalks to access Lakefront Park. Meyer, 58, has six wheelchair-bound children.
“They jogged the sidewalk around my palm tree,” Meyer, who is happy the tree was not removed, said. “It’s hard to get used to seeing people walking down this side of the street. We had more trick-or-treaters this year than any other year.”
Down the street from Meyer, an old oak tree was cut down to make way for the sidewalk, a sore spot for residents until they realized it was rotted in the middle, Swingle said.
If the city does have to remove a tree in a swale, the city will “try to help keep the area beautified” by providing the resident with a new tree to plant elsewhere in his or her yard, Swingle said.
Swingle will provide the public’s comments to the City Council when the plan is presented to it at a workshop or a meeting. Swingle said he hoped to have the plan discussed at a February workshop so it will be adopted quickly by the council.
The plan is based in the city’s grid, which is comprised of the area from Lakeshore Boulevard to 17th Street and from Eastern Avenue to Budinger Avenue. Many of these streets already have sidewalks but they lack interconnectivity that keep children from riding their bicycles in the street or across yards.
“The grid is the biggest part of the community without (connecting) sidewalks,” Swingle said. “Having a good, sound, safe pedestrian network encourages a lot of things (including) walking, which is healthy and environmentally friendly.”
The first projects under the master plan to be installed would be on Florida Avenue from Lakeshore Boulevard to 4th Street; Columbia Avenue from 10th Street to 11th Street; and 11th Street from Columbia Avenue to California Avenue. These projects are estimated to cost up to $110,500.
While initial funding is set aside for the sidewalk project, provided by developers who paid for sidewalks in lieu of installing them at the time of construction, funding also will come from the city’s general budget and various grants staff will apply for.
Additionally, because St. Cloud will have to partner with Osceola County and the Florida Department of Transportation on several projects outside the grid to create connectivity, funding could come from these governmental agencies as well.
Depending on the size of the project, the sidewalks could either be installed by city staff or the city could solicit bids from area companies.
City code requires that when a house is built, a sidewalk must also be installed or an equivalent contributed to the sidewalk fund.
New developments will be required to add connecting sidewalks to existing sidewalks to keep the walkways flowing. Swingle said this includes the Nolte Road expansion project, which, in addition to a five-foot sidewalk between Canoe Creek Road and Michigan Street, the road also will get an eight-foot shared-use path for bicycles.
The Public Works Department plans to develop a guide for staff to become more proactive at maintaining sidewalks within the city. The procedures would require workers to report sidewalk issues, such as cracks or uneven panels, that could pose possible tripping hazards or grass and weeds growing across a sidewalk. Staff would then schedule repairs once the issue had been verified.
Some sidewalks with minimal use would be removed once repairs are required; these sidewalks would be replaced with sod.
“If the people adjacent want them out, we’ll go take them out,” Swingle said. “Otherwise, as long as they’re in good shape, we’ll leave them there.”
Comments can be e-mailed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or via mail to city of St. Cloud Public Services, Re: Sidewalk Master Plan, 1300 9th St., St. Cloud, FL 34769.
 

Please register
or log in to post comments.