The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

November 8, 2012

Sidewalk plans spark controversy

By Tina Alvey Register-Herald Reporter

RONCEVERTE — Plans for the latest phase of a grant-funded streetscape project have sparked controversy in the River City.

Ronceverte grant coordinator Doug Hylton explained to City Council Monday evening that phase III of the project calls for construction of sidewalks in three sections of the downtown district and the addition of benches, bike racks, trash barrels and 20 lampposts along city streets.

The total cost of this phase of the ongoing project is $264,000, with the largest share — $220,000 — coming from a safety grant already awarded by the state. That grant required a 20 percent match from local coffers, which Hylton assured Council the city already has in hand, thanks to their approval of the terms attached to a $14,600 contribution by the Ronceverte Development Corporation (RDC). Those terms included the city’s agreement to repair a historic marker and to use part of the funding for the beautification component of the project.

The project includes replacement of the 215-foot sidewalk along Main Street between Cedar and Chestnut streets, a 180-foot extension of the paving (including sidewalk space) on Frankford Road — U.S. 219 — from the RDC office to the one-way exit from Greenbrier Avenue, and the construction of a new sidewalk and parallel parking spaces along East Main Street from Frankford Road to Cherry Street.

It is that last portion of the project that proved to be controversial, as merchant Mary Glover raised objections to the planned elimination of angled parking spaces in favor of parallel parking slots.

Glover recently relocated her business, Greenbrier Cut Flowers & Gifts, from Edgar Avenue to the corner of Frankford Road and Main Street. She told Council the elimination of angled parking near the side of her building will keep her employees from accessing all sides of the delivery van they use, and will force her either to park her personal vehicle in a parking space previously reserved for customers or to not be able to go to work, as other downtown parking spaces are too far away for her to walk from. Glover explained that she has handicaps that make walking difficult.

Further, she said, “That sidewalk is going to lead to nothing,” pointing out that it would not connect to the sidewalk fronting her shop.

Hylton advised Glover that the unmarked angled parking spaces she and her employees are currently using are too short for that type of parking to be safe. He said that the angled spaces on Edgar, where Glover’s business used to be, are 17-feet deep. By contrast, East Main Street can only accommodate a parking space depth of 15 feet.

Both Hylton and Council member David Smith said the plan still allows for a total of six parking spaces along that stretch of East Main, although all of the spaces will be parallel, not angled. Two spaces will be on the north side of the street, nestled into an offset in the new sidewalk, while the other four will be marked off on the south side of the street, next to an existing sidewalk that is also scheduled for replacement.

In response to Glover’s question, “What would it benefit?” Smith replied that schoolchildren get off the bus on East Main and have to walk in the street to get from there to Cherry Street and points beyond. He said providing sidewalks for those children to walk on is a public safety issue for the city.

City employees will do most of the work on the project, which is the result of a year of planning, according to Hylton. Work will commence as soon as feasible, after detailed drawings of each site are completed, he noted.

— E-mail:  talvey@register-herald.com

Text Only
Local News
  • Truckers getting showers back at Beckley travel plaza

    After a long haul along the West Virginia Turnpike, truck drivers can get a refreshing shower at the Beckley travel plaza, starting May 31, after a two-year hiatus.

    May 24, 2013

  • Jay wants young footballers protected

    Friday nights under the lights are no less popular in West Virginia than in Texas, and Sen. Jay Rockefeller says the time has come to strengthen the safety standards required of helmet makers for youthful footballers.

    May 24, 2013

  • Primary seatbelt bill signed into law

    Motorists who have grown careless about buckling up with a seatbelt had best get used to the idea of using one in a few weeks, or face the prospect of a $25 fine.

    May 24, 2013

  • Former child care worker guilty of sexual abuse

    A Greenbrier County jury convicted John Thomas Campbell, 28, a former employee at the Davis-Stuart school, of sexually abusing a teenage girl who was a student there.

    May 24, 2013

  • Escaped inmate captured, faces new felony charge

    An inmate who escaped from Beckley Correctional facility Monday night was captured by authorities Wednesday evening, according to the West Virginia Division of Corrections.

    May 24, 2013

  • Hinton pill dealer pleads guilty in court

    Hinton resident Michael Harshaw Jr., 36, pleaded guilty to distribution of oxycodone Thursday in U.S. District Court in Beckley, U.S. District Attorney Booth Goodwin announced.

    May 24, 2013

  • Shady Spring man arrested for threats

    Boone County sheriff’s deputies arrested a Shady Spring man Wednesday on charges of threats of a terrorist act.

    May 24, 2013

  • Woman struck, killed by train has been identified

    A woman struck and killed by a CSX freight train Monday in the New River Gorge National River has been identified as Chandra Turner, 49, from Louisville, Ky.

    May 24, 2013

  • Raleigh judge hands down three sentences

    Three individuals were sentenced by Raleigh County Circuit Court Judge H.L. Kirkpatrick Thursday.
    James Edward Cook, 33, of Arnett, pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and leaving the scene of an accident with death.

    May 24, 2013

  • History bowl champs History Bowl winners recognized

    Tuesday was a morning of music, applause and awards at Shady Spring Middle School, as West Virginia first lady Joanne Tomblin and other state and national dignitaries honored the faculty and students for winning the West Virginia History Bowl this year.

    May 24, 2013 1 Photo