Planned sidewalk would link malls

October 28, 1999|By RICHARD F. BELISLE, Waynesboro

WAYNESBORO, Pa. - The governments of Waynesbsoro and Washington Township are teaming up with State Sen. Terry Punt to build a 3,500-foot sidewalk connecting Waynesboro Mall with Wayne Heights Mall.

Washington Township Administrator Michael Christopher said Tuesday that the new walkway will run on the south side of Pa. 16 from the mall in the borough to Welty Road in the township.

It not only will connect the two malls, but will also run by the Waynesboro YMCA, the school district and Renfrew Museum and Park. The project also includes a 100-foot pedestrian bridge over Little Antietam Creek, Christopher said.

One old stone wall will have to be relocated during construction.

Washington Township will be the applicant for the project, but it will be sponsored by both governments, he said. Neither will have to pay any money toward the sidewalk, he said.

The estimated $325,000 construction cost will come from federal and state grants being sought by Punt, Christopher said.

He said the township will know by May if the grants are approved. Design and engineering should be complete by the end of 2000 with bids out in March of 2001. The sidewalk will be finished by September 2001, he said.

The project has the support of Vision 2015, the group planning for the area's future. Enhancing the sidewalk system is a major goal of the group. It also has the endorsement of the Waynesboro Area Chamber of Commerce, which likes the idea of linking the two shopping malls together with a walkway, Christopher said.

Dick Marks, director of the YMCA, said many children walk to the YMCA along Pa. 16. The new walkway will create a safer environment, he said.

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