Medina will develop plan to win sidewalk grant for Maple Ridge

File photo by Tom Rivers: Village officials worry about pedestrian safety along Maple Ridge Road, which has seen several new businesses open in recent years.

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 27 September 2017 at 9:05 pm

MEDINA – Village officials believed they made a compelling case a year ago for the state to approve a grant for sidewalks and a pedestrian bridge over Oak Orchard Creek on Maple Ridge Road.

Medina submitted a grant application last year for the funding, but was denied. (The Village of Holley was approved for a $1.78 million TAP grant.) The TAP – Transportation Alternatives Grant – is 80 percent federally funded with a 20 percent local share. The funding is from the federal government, but awarded by the state.

To improve its chances for the next time funding is available, Medina is going to develop a plan for sidewalks on Maple Ridge Ridge. These won’t be sidewalk replacements, but new walkways for what has become a busy commercial strip with many residences nearby.

The Village Board agreed on Monday to work with a consultant from Wendel to develop a plan for the sidewalk grant. Adam Tabelski, a former Medina mayor, will work with the village on the project. Wendel has offered to do the planning work for free, Mayor Mike Sidari said.

“We want to have a plan in place for when funding comes up again,” the mayor said today.

The state a year ago welcomed proposals from municipalities for $98.7 million to support bicycle, pedestrian, multi-use path and transportation-related programs as well as projects that reduce congestion and help to meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act.

Medina wanted some of those funds to make a busy thoroughfare safer for pedestrians. There are sidewalks near the Route 63 intersection on Maple Ridge Road, but most of the road lacks sidewalks from Bates Road to the former Ames plaza.

Sidari said many people walk along Maple Ridge Road or use motorized wheelchairs. He said the sidewalks would improve safety for many local residents.

The village worked with Labella Associates in Rochester to put together a grant application a year ago. The initial cost estimates were about $1.3 million to extend sidewalks from Bates Road to the Ames plaza. That included a pedestrian bridge over the Oak Orchard Creek by the Mariachi De Oro restaurant.

Sidari said Maple Ridge has become busier with GCC, manufacturing plants, chain stores and a residential community. The Orleans Economic Development Agency also is working to develop a hotel on Maple Ridge next to the Pride Pak vegetable processing plant.

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