Section 10: Financial Planning for Pedestrian Infrastructure Improvements

Sidewalks and pedestrian infrastructure are often considered to be one-time expenses. Over the years since World War II, some communities, such as Morgantown, have not given consistent and proportionate attention to sidewalks because higher priority has been given to the section of roadways which supports automotive transportation. But the times have been changing – especially during the past decade when walkability has become a rediscovered priority for quality of life.

With the 1979 passage of an ordinance (including Section 916.13) amending the original municipal sidewalk ordinance of 1967, the City of Morgantown required new dwellings and buildings to have sidewalks constructed adjacent to the property as part of the new construction. Previously in 1969 an ordinance had been passed requiring street paving to include construction and re construction of sidewalks. Both ordinances were intended to address the deficiency in sidewalks identified in the original city code in 1967. But both requirements included a provision for waivers, and over the years too many waivers have been given – especially with sidewalk construction or reconstruction in relation to street   paving projects as originally provided for in the original 1967 city code (Section 911.01).

In recent years approximately $100,000 has been allocated in annual city budgets for sidewalk construction and re-construction. Some of the recent projects have included replacement of the Beechurst sidewalk on the hill side of the high traffic corridor; new sidewalk construction on Falling Run Road, James St., Darst St., Collins Ferry Road and the Elmhurst/Laurel Streets intersection. Replacement work of sidewalks has also been completed on Stewart St., and a collaborative sidewalk construction project has been completed with WVU Student Government leadership and WVDOT support on Willowdale Road.

In order to address the extensive needs for sidewalk construction and maintenance represented in Section 6 of this Plan - and the on-going maintenance that such projects involve - it is important that the City establish an on-going means for addressing pedestrian infrastructure needs. In addition to addressing pedestrian safety via infrastructure projects, it is also important for the City to support traffic calming initiatives which are also important for pedestrian and neighborhood safety and quality of life.

The process to establish a revitalized care of sidewalks and neighborhood safety was most recently initiated in 2005. During that year the Traffic Commission established a Traffic Calming subcommittee, and the City Council began to discuss ways to address the need for city-wide sidewalk improvement. In response to the interest in establishing a plan for sidewalk improvement, the City Manager recommended that City Council decide what type of financial mechanism it would use to address sidewalk issues. Clearly the City was falling further behind with expenditure of only $100,000 per year to address the deficient sidewalks and lack of sidewalks within the City.

It has become clear that establishing and maintaining a sidewalk system in a city such as Morgantown is not simply a matter of making periodic capital expenses every three of four decades. The side walk construction, reconstruction, repair and maintenance needs are so pervasive, complex, and on-going that there needs to be a regular expenditure of resources to address, maintain and adjust evolving pedestrian infrastructure and traffic calming needs.

In addition, in as much as sidewalk investments tend to address the needs of more than one generation, it is appropriate for responsibility for paying for sidewalk investments be made not just by a single generation every 30-40 years but by on-going investments by the citizens each year. The use of an on-going designated fee would permit the City to buy bonds for pedestrian safety projects in a manner similar to those purchased by the Parking Authority for parking garage construction which are also designed to serve more than one or two generations.

Several crosswalk and some sidewalk projects in this Plan are clearly related to maintenance functions of the WVDOH. If this Pedestrian Safety Plan is approved by City of Morgantown and Greater Morgantown MPO decision makers, the City will need to make formal requests that these projects be completed and funded by the WVDOH.

Grant resources are likely to continue to be available to supplement local core expenditures from the Safe Routes to School program, the WVDOT TEA-21 funding, the Community Development Block grant program, and possibly a “hometown economic stimulus package” during the Obama administration. Such resources must be considered as supplements to a sustained, on-going local effort to improve neighborhood safety and livability as well as walkability city-wide.

Recommendation

Section 913.16 of the current City Code of Morgantown requiring that when dwellings or building are constructed within the city that plans include the construction or replacement of sidewalks must be closely followed  in all development and redevelopment in the city. The Pedestrian Safety Board believes that the Chair or Vice Chair of the Pedestrian Safety Board should be contacted whenever an exemption of the code is considered. The Chair or Vice Chair would respond with their recommendation within 48 hours of being contacted. If a sidewalk construction exemption is to be approved, then an ordinance amendment needs to provide a means by which the property owner involved may pay a proportionate cost to a dedicated city sidewalk fund.

On October 21, 2005, the City Manager provided four options for supporting sidewalk policies and programs (see Appendix F). One of the four proposals would provide on-going support for a pedestrian infrastructure system. Accordingly, the Pedestrian Safety Board recommends that City Council establish an on-going Annual Walkway, Lighting, Traffic Calming Service Fee based on per linear foot of property facing a street.

Based on current construction and MPO Plan cost estimates, the Board estimates that approximately $31,500,000 will be needed to complete the projects outlined in Section 6 of this Plan (see Appendix I for details). In addition, approximately $1,000,000 will be needed to complete the proposed neighborhood Traffic Calming Plan projects (see Appendix M) planned by the Traffic Commission. Engineering studies, and associated costs, will be necessary to determine detailed project costs for all projects as implementation proceeds.

To address these financial needs and establish an ongoing strategy for addressing pedestrian infrastructure construction and repair projects, the Board recommends the City establish the Annual Walkway, Lighting, Traffic Calming Service Fee at $1 per linear foot of road frontage per year on all property within City limits. Properties having boundaries on more than one street would be assessed for only the road frontage at the front of the house.

Based on estimates from the City Manager (see Appendix F), this would raise approximately $1,000,000 annually which would allow the City to progress within a relatively short time frame toward the completion of the projects. This fee would also create a stable financial foundation by which long-term bonds could be structured so that some resources could be set aside for matching grant funds as opportunities become available.

The Board further recommends that the priority use for collected fees be sidewalk, crosswalk, lighting, and traffic calming projects on the connecting network sidewalks (CNS) as identified in Section 5 of this Plan as well as traffic calming projects. The second priority use of the collected fees would be sidewalk, crosswalk, lighting, and traffic calming projects on neighborhood access sidewalks (NAS). The Board further recommends that the collected fees be placed each year in a dedicated fund specified for the exclusive support of sidewalk, crosswalk, lighting, and traffic calming projects outlined in this Plan and the Traffic Calming Plan.

In addition, the Board recommends that the provision for sidewalk construction as specified for new construction of buildings (Section 913.16, paragraph c) be retained and enforced. This change would require a modification of paragraph (b) in Section 913.16.

Whenever a sidewalk installation waiver is requested, the Board recommends that the City administration act based on the type of sidewalk affected. Specifically, the Board recommends that all waivers on CNS streets be denied by the City and that the City administration promptly consult with the Board to evaluate a waiver request on NAS streets. The designated Board representative(s) should be contacted by email and given one week to provide a response to the City administration.

If granted a waiver by the City Manager upon consultation of the Board, the Board recommends the builder of the new construction be required to pay an amount to the City roughly comparable to the general costs of constructing a sidewalk at the project site which will be revenue for the Annual Walkway, Lighting, Traffic Calming Service Fund to support other sidewalk construction, preferably in the general neighborhood area of the new construction project. The amount to be paid should be comparable to the general costs of constructing a sidewalk at the project site rather than a flat fee utilized city-wide.

It is recommended that the Complete the Street policy requirement that sidewalks be included with all reconstruction and paving of streets be limited to CNS only. For NAS, it is recommended that property owners be required to pay 40% of the total construction, reconstruction or repair costs with City paying the other 60% (from the Annual Walkway, Lighting, Traffic Calming Service Fee funds). Adding this provision would require an addition to Article 913. The NAS projects would not be available to individual homeowners but would be placed on a list for installation only if two-thirds of the property owners on an NAS street block petitioned to have the sidewalk constructed or re-constructed.

Whenever a new street is constructed, the Complete the Streets policy should be followed regardless of street sidewalk classification. Further, whenever a new sidewalk is constructed, the Board recommends the Transit Authority be contacted so that space for constructing a future transit shelter may be incorporated in the sidewalk design, if feasible.