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A proposed sidewalk to be located on Hills Chapel Road in Manchester has faced its share of setbacks, including supply chain issues with the delivery of concrete. Now, there may be a curve in the road due to the city being unable to secure easements from multiple residents along the roadway.

George Gannon, Manchester Street Department director, said during the Sept. 14 Manchester Street and Streetlight Committee meeting that most of the easements needed for the Hills Chapel sidewalks have been obtained, but six landowners are holding out, and will not sign to allow the sidewalks to be built on their properties.

Gannon said that after speaking with the city consulting engineer Adam Carter, the best solution would be to move the sidewalk over nearer the road with a curb rather than have a hopscotch network of sidewalks. That will mean sidewalks will hug the street in places

and then go back to behind ditches. Some portions will have the ditch tiled over and a six-inch curb added.

Vice Mayor Mark Messick and Alderman Bob Bellamy said they were disappointed to hear that those holdout residents didn’t support the project aimed to aid pedestrian and vehicular traffic along a congested road.

Originally approved in Aug. 2021, the project calls for over 71,000 square feet of concrete and will require just less than 39,000 square feet of easements, according to the probable cost estimates. The multi-year endeavor aims to have sidewalks along Hills Chapel to Forrestwood Drive, along Coffee Street to Highway 55, along Oakdale Street from Wiley Street to Freedom Drive, Madison Street from Highway 41 to Coffee Street and along Oak Drive from Highway 55 to Hills Chapel Road.

At the time the resolution was passed, the project was to have cost $1.5 million, and was called by Alderman Ryan French the single largest sidewalk project the city has done in recent years.

Animal control talks delayed

In other news, the subject of the city transferring animal control duties to the county has temporarily stalled at the committee level with no action coming from the discussion Thursday night.

The point of contention at the meeting concerns the $50,000 the city currently allocates to fund animal control and would need to be given to the county if that government were to cover the city’s animal pickups.

Julie Anderson, Street and Streetlight Committee chair, said that to her understanding, the county would take over the city’s animal control operations for that $50,000 annually, along with the full use of the city’s animal control building (that both currently operate from).

“They can renew up to three years, and in three years, they should have their shelter built,” she said, referring to the proposed new million dollar county shelter to be built at the old Fann Salvage site, on the Hillsboro Highway.

“They asked that the city continue to pick up dead animals in the city, but they would pick up the live animals,” Anderson said.

Vice Mayor Mark Messick was opposed to giving the county the $50,000 each year.

“I’m willing to let them have the building, take over; but I’m not going to pay,” Messick said. “Why would we give the county $50,000 to take over…animal control?”

Another expense would be the addition of a chain link fence to section off the animal control building from the remainder of the area behind the city shop. That fence, with new gate, could cost between $20,000 and $30,000. The salary for the animal control officer salary will remain in the department’s operational budget, the position will shift to other duties.

Anderson called operating two animal control facilities a duplication of effort.

If the recommendation passes street department it would then go to the Finance Committee for funding.

Committee Member, Alderman Bob Bellamy pushed for confirmation that the agreement would continue after the proposed three-year agreement has ended.