Ribbon cutting opens 17th Street sidewalk; local student awarded key to the city

Image
  • The city of St. Cloud on Tuesday held a ribbon cutting to officially open the new 17th Street sidewalk.
    The city of St. Cloud on Tuesday held a ribbon cutting to officially open the new 17th Street sidewalk.
  • At the ribbon cutting ceremony, Mayor Nathan Blackwell presented a key to the city to Charity Best, who came to City Council when she was a senior at St. Cloud High School to ask for the sidewalk to be built.
    At the ribbon cutting ceremony, Mayor Nathan Blackwell presented a key to the city to Charity Best, who came to City Council when she was a senior at St. Cloud High School to ask for the sidewalk to be built.
Body

The city of St. Cloud on Tuesday held a ribbon cutting to officially open the new 17th Street sidewalk, which stretches from Michigan Avenue to Canoe Creek Road.

At the ribbon cutting ceremony, Mayor Nathan Blackwell presented a key to the city to Charity Best, who came to City Council when she was a senior at St. Cloud High School to ask for the sidewalk to be built. Students attending Michigan Avenue Elementary, St. Cloud Middle and St. Cloud High schools heavily travel that section of 17th Street.

“I just was tired of all the traffic, and I could feel the cars going past me when I was walking to school, and there are so many students who walk to school this way,” said Charity, the daughter of Ray and Lynna Best. Now a college student, Charity said she collected signatures on petitions and lobbied the school district, sheriff’s office, police department and the city asking for the sidewalk.

During the ceremony Tuesday, Mayor Blackwell praised her initiative and tenacity.

“I know that I was impressed, and I’m sure the rest of the council was impressed, with this young lady who not only saw something in her town that she thought needed fixing, but she took the next step to do something about it,” Blackwell said. “She came and spoke very eloquently at the council meeting and laid out her case for improving student safety by building a sidewalk. I think we can say this is the ‘Best’ sidewalk.”

NuWave Concrete built the sidewalk at a cost of $259,935.50. It was completed in about a month.