LYNNFIELD — A couple of months after the allocation of $135,000 for the reconstruction of sidewalks in town, residents expressed a need for the issue to be given more importance in the 2040 vision-survey results.
According to 62% of 628 respondents to the survey, which is part of the Lynnfield 2040: Shaping Our Future Today initiative, the lack of sidewalks on both sides of the streets in the town is an “important” or “very important” challenge Lynnfield needs to address.
The town was deemed “not very walkable” by respondents, and the requirement of “more sidewalks” in and around the town was emphasized.
An allocation of funds for the reconstruction of sidewalks came as part of a $1.2 million road and sidewalk repair project earlier this year. Department of Public Works Director John Tomasz said in April that an evaluation of Lynnfield’s sidewalks would determine if a full replacement would be required.
After the results of the survey, Tomasz said that the DPW attempts to integrate the money allocated for roads with the money provided for sidewalks.
“We have money appropriated for not just streets, but also sidewalks,” said Tomasz. “So what we normally do is that we try to combine the two of them.”
According to Tomasz, while all of the departments in town are competing for funds from the state, the town has been gracious in allocating funds for the DPW.
“The town only has a limited amount of supply,” he said. “And they have been pretty good about giving me what they can.”
Tomasz said he has tried to thoroughly utilize the allocated funds for the improvement of roads and sidewalks.
“We have miles and miles of sidewalks that need to be done, which would probably cost millions of dollars,” he said. “But, I try to channel whatever I get toward the streets and sidewalks.”
In an earlier interview with The Item, Tomasz said that multiple factors such as coordination with utilities, drainage repairs, and other road repairs could delay the reconstruction process. He added that these factors can also cause the cost of the project to change, which could further prolong the task.
Lynnfield 2040 was launched earlier this year by the Planning Board and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and seeks to identify the town’s priorities and opportunities in the coming decades.
