North Street gets sidewalk repair

News Herald photo by BRENDA BROWN Workers from Boothe Concrete Utilities of Henderson check rebar while waiting for concrete to arrive Friday morning to complete repairs to the sidewalk along North Street beside the World's Richest Acre Park. The company was hired to repair uneven concrete streets and sidewalks throughout the city, said Thomas Barron, foreman. A broken water service main on North Street, between Commerce Street and Kilgore Street, has turned into a block-long sidewalk repair project.

When water department crews made the initial utility cut they found that the problem extended up into the sidewalk area.

Jeff Howell, city manager, said that once the crew got into the sidewalk it was difficult to find a stopping place because the walkway was in bad shape.

"Staff encountered an old driveway approach that is no longer in use and the sidewalk surrounding the area in such disrepair, that we decided to go all the way to the Worlds Richest Acre Park," Howell said.

Any expense incurred in his project falls under Miscellaneous concrete repairs. The city budget includes $250,000 for use on miscellaneous concrete projects through the downtown, including several spots along Martin, Rusk and Kay Streets.

This small project comes just before the massive downtown sidewalk undertaking planned to begin on Jan. 5, during which one full block of Kilgore Street will be completely remodeled, rounding the corner onto East Main end extending another full block.