By Art Hunter
Editor

Work on new sidewalks on South Riverside Drive and East Main Street in Batavia is nearly complete.

The project, proposed by village administrator Dennis Nichols, was approved by village council at its June meeting.

Nichols told council members that Ford Development, the contractor on the East Main Street project, had offered the village a discounted rate for both projects if they could be started before East Main Street was done.

The project included the installation of two catch basins and tiling a ditch on East Main between Fifth and Sixth streets to control water runoff and erosion.

“On the south side of the road there’s a ditch that people can fall into,” Nichols told council members. “It’s a safety and drainage concern.”

Nichols said that the work would have cost approximately $56,000, and Ford offered to do the work for $49,000.

Nichols told council that the sidewalk work on South Riverside could not be assessed to property owners.

“It is in a state right of way,” he said. “If we are going to do it, it is going to be at village expense.”

He said that assessing property owners on East Main would not generate enough money to cover the work.

“If we did assessments it would only be $1,000 to $1,500,” Nichols said. “The discount being offered is substantially more than any possible assessments.”

Council unanimously approved councilman Steve Staton’s motion to authorize Nichols to proceed with the project.

“I think this is a good way to proceed,” Staton said.