The City of Washington is taking a step closer to having a sidewalk installed along East Washington Street.

At their recent council meeting an engineering services agreement for $20,200 was approved with Garden and Associates. Engineer Jack Pope, who has been working on the survey work for the project, spoke to the council, “Challenges there will be on the DOT right of way, obviously we’ll have to deal with the DOT on that. Sidewalks are sometimes desired, sometimes not; people who don’t have to shovel snow now will have to start shoveling snow on their sidewalk. [It] will require some easements for construction of that, whether it’s temporary to allow for the construction, or some permanents to get the ability to do some retaining walls. We have the survey done for that work, so basically we have to finish up the design.”

The design deadline is June 30th. City Administrator Brent Hinson said they’ll have to review funding strategies for the project and look at special assessments.