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Springfield is host to more than 13 miles of brick sidewalks that have been around for about 130 years, yet there is an ongoing debate about whether they’re worth keeping. KSMU’s Ryan Welch has the story.
[Sound: Footsteps]
Walking along the sidewalk at State and Monroe Streets, Jim Butler beams with pride as he talks about the city’s historic brick sidewalks.
Butler is a coordinator for Brick Sidewalks of Springfield, Missouri.
“The great thing about them, they’re so durable, that once installed, unlike the 30-year life cycle of concrete, they’ll go for another 100 years despite them being recycled,” Butler said.
Butler says he feels the historic sidewalks are in jeopardy, and he’s trying to ensure that they are preserved.
[Sound: Repairing bricks]
He volunteers his own time to repair patches of sidewalks that have broken or sunken bricks. On this day, he’s using a mallet to get the replacement bricks in the right spot.
[Sound: Repairing bricks]
Butler says he’s worried that the city’s Department of Public Works might eventually replace the historic sidewalks with concrete. One criticism of the brick sidewalks that has come up in the past is that they do no comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Butler says, however, that not all the brick sidewalks in town need to be removed in order to comply with ADA regulations. He says a large portion of them need little or no repair, and thus, would cost the city very little.
Butler also says the city could find free labor to repair the sidewalks by way of Greene County Jail inmates, prisoners from Fordland Honor Camp, and other people who are ordered by the court to perform community service.
Jonathan Gano is the Interim Assistant Director of Public Works and says only two percent of the city’s sidewalks are paved with bricks. He says while there’s no plan to rip up the old sidewalks as of now, he also says there’s no guarantee the city won’t eventually replace some of them.“The only problem with brick sidewalks is that they are generally difficult to make compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. And that to do so can cost up to four times as much as if one were to remove and replace the sidewalks with concrete,” Gano said.
Gano says in order for brick sidewalks to remain brick and comply with ADA regulations, the city would have to remove the brick sidewalk, re-level the ground they sit on with a concrete sidewalk, and then put the bricks back on top. That’s what would make the process so costly.
Gano also says that every person who works on a construction site has to be paid the prevailing wage. He says the repairing of brick sidewalks can be defined as construction by the state of Missouri and that the department, as a government agency, would not be able to accept free labor due to labor laws.
For KSMU News, I’m Ryan Welch.
