Sidewalks, or at least the lack of them, was the hot topic Tuesday at the South Jordan City Council meeting.
A delegation from the Jordan Ridge School community group met with the council to seek immediate construction of a 560-foot strip of sidewalk on the west side of 22nd West south of the school.Council members expressed sympathy for the request but said no action on new sidewalks will be taken until it receives a report from a committee that has been reviewing sidewalk needs in the city for the past two months. The committee is not expected to have its report ready for another eight to 10 weeks, however.
The council has identified the proj-ect in question for funding in the next fiscal budget. The new budget will not take effect, however, until July, 1989.
Council members told the group not to take the lack of action as a sign that city officials are not concerned. They said the simple fact is, the city has limited resources and the study is needed to identify which projects should receive priority treatment. Mayor Theron B. Hutchings said residents should realize that all capital improvement projects in the city come from the same fund and it is likely that every dollar spent for sidewalks will mean one less dollar for road repairs and improvements.
Hutchings said the lack of sidewalks in the city and the construction of new schools is putting pressure on the city. He said the city is trying to respond but residents must be patient and accept that the city is doing all it can to address problem areas, especially those posing safety hazards for school children.
Also high on the city improvement list is installation of a traffic signal at 104th South and 27th West. Hutchings said several fatal accidents have occurred at the intersection, and recent state approval for the light makes it imperative that the city move swiftly on the project.
City Administrator Richard Warne said city spending for operating expenses and capital projects is on schedule and he does not anticipate any revenue surpluses that would allow immediate action on the sidewalk request.