Sidewalk project on hold

Published 6:51 pm Friday, February 24, 2006

If the City of Athens is to construct a sidewalk along East Pryor Street from the Pilgrim’s Pride plant to U.S. 31 it will have to find $100,000, which is money the district doesn’t have, District 1 Councilman Johnny Crutcher said this weekend.

“I don’t have any money set aside for that project right now,” Crutcher said. “When I took office in October, 2004, all the money in my district had been spent.”

Some residents in that area of Athens were convinced three years ago the sidewalk would be constructed after they petitioned the council for the project. But since that time, the project has been put on a back burner.

“The present council is not bound to any decisions made by the previous council,” Crutcher said. “I’m not against a sidewalk, but we’ve got some major streets such as Jefferson, Washington, Clinton, Pryor and Hobbs streets that need resurfacing first.”

“I feel our councilman, Johnny Crutcher, is not hearing the majority of voices in our neighborhood,” said East Pryor Street resident Heather Vines. “When we petitioned for our sidewalk, everyone except two signed the petition.”

Vines said there are approximately 27 households and every adult in each household with the exception of two, signed the petition stating the need was “imperative” for the sidewalk because of safety concerns.

Mayor Dan Williams said former District 1 councilman, Danny Crawford, who Crutcher replaced, had intended to use funds the city had set aside for individual council districts to construct a sidewalk along East Pryor Street. But Williams said when the new council took over that project changed.

“When the new council came in, Mr. Crutcher. who is councilman over that district, thought other things were needed first,” the mayor said. “I know there are some families out there that have young kids that would walk to school. As it stands now, East Pryor is not the safest street to do that. It just boils down to if the one now serving that council district wants to do the project.”

Crutcher said some of the larger property owners along East Pryor Street have told him they don’t want a sidewalk.

“But that is not the reason for this project not going through,” he said. “ I really never had any of that money to pave a sidewalk to start with. We just don’t have it.”