Sidewalk Connectivity Increases along Flipper St.

The City of Tallahassee could pay up to $150 thousand dollars to property owners on the west side of Flipper St. due to the installation of sidewalks. Construction on Flipper St. is all set to go after a successful neighborhood meeting held Tuesday. This project is expected to begin in August and it is estimated to take up to three months.

The estimated construction cost for this project is $500 thousand dollars. Reaching these owners to finalize agreements is what is preventing the City from starting this construction sooner. Alisha Wetherell, Program Manager for the Flipper St. Sidewalk Project said, “Reaching out to property owners, some of which are out of town, can take about six months.”

Flipper St. is located right off of Florida A&M’s campus between Okaloosa and Campbell streets. Direct mail letters were sent out to all residents and property owners along Flipper St. in regards to the meeting. Additionally, the letter provided contact information for planners so that community members could direct any questions or concerns about the project.. Pastor Willie L. Merrick of Flipper Chapel AME Church on Flipper St. was in attendance. Merrick also brought some of his congregation.

Pastor Merrick’s concerns were addressed and satisfied at the open house meeting. “The sidewalks won’t affect the church side, but they will affect the parking lot,” Pastor Merrick said. An entrance from the street to the parking lot is what Pastor Merrick requested. “It is an improvement and it is a benefit. It’s going to do a lot for the neighborhood,” he said.

Flipper St. is not the first and will not be the last sidewalk project expected to improve the community. Bradford Rd. and Centerville Rd. are currently in phase two of their sidewalk projects. Live Oak Plantation Rd., North Ridge Rd., 6th Ave. and potentially 7th Ave. are all in the beginning stages of getting sidewalks. At least a dozen are in the works Wetherell said. Altogether, about 270 projects have been noted by the city. Over $36 million dollars of the recently approved sales tax extension has been designated for construction of sidewalks.

Heather Teter, Public Information Specialist for the City of Tallahassee, explains why the city is now spending big bucks on sidewalk installations. “Citizens are wanting more sidewalks. They’re wanting more safe routes to schools for children and sidewalks for bus commuters. Our citizens have been more vocal and that’s why the City Commission has placed sidewalks as a top priority,” Teter said.

Teter also believes that the city is balancing where they put the sidewalks, as well. “The City Commission has been very strategic in which sidewalk projects they approve, making sure that sidewalk are installed equitably throughout the city.”

 

For any questions or request for sidewalk installations throughout the city contact Public Works Capital Programs Division at 850-891-8234.