Sidewalks & Bike/Ped Paths

IFCP's efforts to promote safe routes to schools come to fruition

Pushing for safer routes to schools in IF, IFCP completed grant applications for the City of Idaho Falls to construct sidewalks to get our youths safely to school near EagleRock/Skyline Schools and along Holmes to Taylorview Junior High School. This summer we celebrate completion of those paths. Here are some pictures:

Neighborhood Sidewalk Repairs

From the inception of IFCP, repair of old and deteriorating sidewalks emerged as an important issue to many of our members.  A neighborhood survey conducted by the Crows and Original Townsite Historic Neighborhood Association (COTHNA) had indicated that many residents in the numbered streets were concerned about the poor condition of sidewalks in their neighborhood.  However, many residents are surprised to learn that in Idaho Falls, the costs for sidewalk repair are the homeowner's responsibility.  For many homeowners, these costs are simply beyond their means, so many needed repairs are never performed. During August 2007, the IFCP Sidewalk Committee teamed up with COTHNA on this issue.  The two groups jointly drafted a letter to Mayor Fuhriman requesting that the City implement a sidewalk repair program to provide financial assistance to low and moderate income residents.  The letter suggested that the City consider allocating a portion of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds received each year from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  CDBG funds are specifically earmarked for projects involving low- to moderate-income households in our older neighborhoods.  IFCP and COTHNA then attended City Council meetings to explain the proposal, and in January 2008, the Council agreed, allocating $53,780 of CDBG funds for the sidewalk repair program.   We then worked with City Grants Coordinator Jan Blickenstaff and the Public Works Department engineering staff to develop a "concrete" plan of action to use the funds to best effect.   Instead of piecemeal repair of random sections of sidewalk around the City, the team decided to focus on the route along 10th Street extending from South Boulevard to Holmes Avenue.  In addition to the residents, sidewalks along 10th Street are used by many students walking between IF High School, the YMCA, the Aquatic Center, and the downtown area. The IFCP-COTHNA team mapped the broken sections of sidewalk along 10th Street, and contacted residents to inform them of the sidewalk repair program.  During September, contractor Shane Woolf Concrete replaced damaged sidewalks adjacent to 27 homes along 10th Street, as well as the worst sections of sidewalk along the south side of Kate Curley Park.  We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Mayor and City Council, as well as Jan Blickenstaff.  In addition, we owe a big thanks to Stephanie Rose, Pam Chase, and Kent Campbell for making this project happen.  We hope to submit another proposal to the City for similar sidewalk repairs in a different area during 2009.