Before heading off for a long summer break – they next will meet Aug. 26 – Vienna Town Council members on July 8 approved several more sidewalk projects to be financed by the Maud Ferris Robinson Charitable Trust.
• The Council approved a $294,835 contract with A&M Concrete Corp. to build sidewalks on the south (odd-numbered) side of Lullaby Lane, S.E., between Tapawingo Road and Harmony Drive, S.W., and the west (odd-numbered) side of Harmony Drive, S.W., from Lullaby Lane, S.E., to the end of the street. Those projects will result in a total of 820 linear feet of concrete sidewalks.
The contract also will result in construction of a 600-linear-foot concrete sidewalk along the west (odd-numbered) side of Johnson Street, S.W., from Glen Avenue to the end of the street.
The Council approved this project 4-1 on a separate vote (members Sandra Allen and Jessica Ramakis were absent from the meeting). Council member Roy Baldwin cast the nay vote, citing objections he had received from residents living along Johnson Street.
“I believe that the neighborhood itself is very quiet and secluded and this is an area that does not need a sidewalk,” he said.
Mayor Linda Colbert sympathized with residents, but said the town’s comprehensive plan calls for sidewalks on at least one side of every street. The Johnson Street walkway would not serve only the residents living there, she added.
• Council members also voted 5-0 to award a $264,368 contract to Sagres Construction Corp. to build concrete sidewalks along the west (even-numbered) sides of St. Andrews Drive, N.E., and St. Bernard Drive, N.E., from Westbriar Drive to Maple Avenue.
The St. Andrews Drive sidewalk will be 750 linear feet and the one on St. Bernard Drive 650 linear feet.
Baldwin mentioned a St. Bernard Drive resident’s concerns about potential losses of cherry trees along that sidewalk’s route, and inquired whether the town could meander the sidewalk around those trees.
Vienna Public Works Director Brad Baer responded that town officials try to accommodate residents’ concerns, but this not always is possible.
• The Council unanimously approved a $591,963 contract with Stonebridge Civil LLC to build concrete sidewalks along 900 linear feet of Courthouse Road, S.W., from Maple Avenue to Locust Street, and on Pleasant Street, N.W., from Maple Avenue to a point 200 feet north.
Both projects will involve installation of reinforced-concrete retaining walls with brick facing.
