OLYMPIA

Community members demand prioritization of sidewalk projects

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Former Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Jim Lazar urged Olympia council members to hold a study session with advisory committees and community activists to discuss funding for the city’s sidewalks.

Lazar submitted his written comment to the city council, which opened the public hearing for the 2023 Preliminary Capital Facilities Plan on Tuesday, October 18.

Four community members participated in the public hearing, asking to include the sidewalks project in the CFP.

Lazar discussed the voted utility tax (VUT) and the programs these monies should fund.

In 2004, according to the Olympia website, voters approved a 3% increase to the private VUT to fund parks and walking facilities. It added that 1% - about $1 million – of these funds are dedicated to sidewalks and neighborhood pathway projects each year.

According to Lazar, Olympia's fact sheet was sent to all residents to explain the VUT. It listed specific projects to be funded by VUT for the 2004-2025 period.

He said Fones Road was not included. The project was planned to be funded with grants and impact fees.

Lazar claimed the sidewalk portion of the Fones project has increased since then, while the 22nd/Eastside sidewalk, which is included on the map in the fact sheet, has not been constructed and is not scheduled for construction in this CFP.

"I do not suggest abandoning or delaying the Fones Road project. There is no need to put the grants for this project at risk," Lazar said.

He recommended that the city council remove the VUT funding for Fones Road and replace it with $3 million in Transportation Impact Fee funding. "That was the funding mechanism identified when the sidewalk program was drafted, and the voters enacted the VUT."

"Removing the application of VUT to Fones Road will free up $3 million of VUT for expenditure on the sidewalks that our neighborhoods need and want. That would allow you to do what the public is asking for and what the public was promised when we voted in 2004 for the VUT to be used for local area sidewalks," Lazar said.

"There is no lack of revenue options for sidewalks," Lazar commented. "There is a lack of creativity on the part of the city manager and his staff to bring all possible funding options to the Council."

No penny added

Larry Dzieza, president of the Council Neighborhood Association (CNA), said the Planning Commission is against adopting the CFP unless a revision is made in the transportation sector, particularly sidewalks. (See other story today: Olympia Planning Commission: No to the adoption of the 2023 Preliminary Capital Facilities Plan.)

Dzieza expressed frustration when Olympia rejected the commission's suggestion.

"Your staff responded that we should wait because 'it is not realistic to do the complex task of revising the CFP in this short timeframe.' But you all knew this problem existed for years," Dzieza said, adding that the CNA members have been frustrated for years.

He underscored Olympia's surveys reflecting the community's desire to prioritize the sidewalks project. But the city allocated only $11,000 budget for sidewalks.

In 2019, Dzieza said, Olympia did a survey asking what they should spend if the city found new funding. "The highest response was sidewalks."

In May this year, Olympia had $10.2 million in available funding due to higher revenues and salary savings from vacancies.

The city spent $7 million on leadership training, financial software, records management software, staff support for the climate program, Workers' Compensation fund, and setting aside $3 million for an increased fund balance.

The community leader noted that the city did not spend "a dime on what the public said was their priority."

"Not a penny was added to the $11,000 [fund] sidewalks," he added.

"If you're not going to listen to your surveys, stop spending their money and use it for something useful. The frustration has a cause that's a lack of action. That is what causes the frustration. I ask you to take some positive action on the sidewalk issue, even if it is only a small one-time budget increase while we work towards a more comprehensive approach, showing that you're acting on what the public is saying," Dzieza told the council members.

Reprioritize sidewalks

Karen Messmer claimed people have been begging for sidewalks since she joined the Planning Commission in 1995. She said the Transportation Master Plan lays out the need for increased investment and support for walking.

"I was especially frustrated to see the staff's response to the public comments indicating that they do not recommend making changes to the CFP. I understand there are some grant guidelines and deadlines, but what are you holding this public hearing about?" said Messmer, who joined the public hearing virtually.

She told the council members they could change the operating and capital budgets. "You are the policy maker. Have staff in the transportation and financing departments spend more on finding internal and external funding for sidewalks and walking."

Messmer, a former council member, also asked the city to restore the general fund money to sidewalks and move two sidewalk projects into the 2023 construction year in the CFP – including 22nd and East Side sidewalks that have been initially scheduled for 2017.

She cited that the city council has repeatedly reordered their staff priorities to focus on housing and the COVID-19 response. "You can change the focus and the priorities. It is time for action on sidewalks.”

Melissa Allen asked council members to consider directing Olympia staff to work with neighborhoods to create innovative ways to do sidewalk repairs.

"I have been involved with the neighborhood's issue for over ten years, and we have talked about [sidewalks] from the beginning. So I'm trying to think of some less technical ways that the city can demonstrate that it does care about these neighborhoods and wants people to be able to move around safely," Allen said.

Comments

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  • BobJacobs

    Yes, sidewalks have been an issue in our residential areas for decades.

    Unfortunately, the city has not been very creative. For instance, concrete sidewalks are very expensive, so we should consider more temporary fixes, like asphalt sidewalks. This could really stretch our sidewalk dollars.

    Also, the city has utterly failed to consider the damage that street trees do to sidewalks, meaning that we reconstruct them regularly. Some jurisdictions remove and replace street trees before they damage sidewalks, which can be far less expensive.

    We need some creativity and action.

    Bob Jacobs

    360-352-1346

    Saturday, October 22, 2022 Report this

  • GmaMaggie

    The clear facts are if the city does NOT listen to the wants and needs of the citizens of this community and reallocate money to improve pedestrian infrastructure, they will ALSO be facing a multimillion dollar lawsuit that they will lose.

    They are DECADES away from even developing an ADA compliant PLAN!

    It is time for Olympia to open their eyes and realize that cities are losing the ADA lawsuits in this and other states. It's time to act before disabled people actually live long enough to get legal representation and sue for their rights to move about their own city.

    Saturday, October 22, 2022 Report this

  • olyhiker

    The city council should take a walk on Fones Road. Maybe after a rain? It is dangerous and lots of people live in those apartments.

    Saturday, October 22, 2022 Report this

  • Scooter

    Olympia needs to come up with a comprehensive plan that addresses not only sidewalks but streets as well. I try to avoid downtown as the streets for the most part are rough, full of patches, pot holes, etc. I think the city council members should have to drive each and every street in Olympia and see what they think about the overall condition of the streets....and not just in the downtown core.

    Saturday, October 22, 2022 Report this

  • SueGallaghar

    I really can't see how sidewalks can be a lower priority for the city than streets. We have a great many people who are dependent on walking or taking the bus in our community, in addition to those who choose to walk for whatever reason. Sidewalks encourage people to get out and interact with the community in a way that moving around in vehicles discourages. Say hello to the people you pass when you walk and you will see what I mean. Maybe those who make these decisions that prioritize streets over sidewalks should take a walk.

    Sunday, October 23, 2022 Report this