Following approvals by the town’s fiscal bodies for $200,000 towards sidewalks on Sugar Street and Queen Street, the Borough of Newtown’s Board of Burgesses approved a $135,000 contribution from American Rescue Plan funding toward the joint venture.

Borough Warden Jay Maher told The Newtown Bee that at an April 11 Board of Burgesses meeting, members gave final approval to the project, which is estimated to cost roughly $338,000. Senior Borough Burgess and Newtown Legislative Council member Chris Gardner at a recent council meeting said that the borough will be doing some “value engineering” to bring down the cost a bit.

Maher clarified that the two projects are 1,400 feet of sidewalk along Sugar Street to Madison Drive, costing $194K; and a crosswalk project at the intersection of Church Hill Road and Queen Street, costing $144K.

Both proposed project budgets include incidentals and contingency costs.

Maher said the borough still has $45,800 of its $359,000 American Rescue Plan disbursement.

Gardner classified the sidewalk proposal as a “Cadillac project” for both the town and the borough, and that the Queen Street crosswalk was an “important project, especially for the middle school.”

The crosswalk allocation is mostly for the electronics necessary to run the signage. In trying to decide how to split the project between the town and borough, some burgesses pressed for a split more favorable to the borough, while Gardner said he is “sensitive to the cost, especially as it benefits the whole community.”

“Sidewalks will last forever, particularly if the property is maintained,” said Gardner. “This is a great use of money.”

Maher said the project can likely go to bid later this month.

Maher said the Newtown Cemetery Committee approached the board, requesting the borough use some or all of its remaining ARP funds towards a six-foot wide, 20-foot long arched bridge with side rails over the stream at Ram Pasture. The cost of the bridge is an estimated $50,000, with numbers for material and labor secured from a local contractor.

The next step for the cemetery committee, according to Maher, is to go before the town’s Historic Commission for its approval. The board tabled the request while it awaits the Historic Commission’s decision.

The board also again tabled a request from earlier this year from the Board of Education, which asked for assistance in paying for the salary of a Teen Talk counselor using ARP funds.

Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.