Roseland Drive sidewalk plans still in the works

Roseland Drive residents will have to wait at least another month for potential sidewalk plans for the neighborhood to be revealed. Homeowners argue that placing a sidewalk alongside the pre-existing curb will drastically reduce the size of their already small lawns.

Although the street is wide enough to build the sidewalk into the street and recreate the curb, this plan means re-doing the road's drainage system. The plan keeps existing yard sizes and reduces the width of the road, which could help with speeding problems. However, because of the drains, it's also approximately $45,000 more expensive than building on the pre-existing cub.

"Sometimes you have to choose not to move forward and just find an alternate route," Homewood City Council Member Walter Jones said.

In a meeting on March 25, the Council approved a plan to explore the project as design-build. This would eliminate contractor bidding and, according to council members, might be the best route to undertake the challenge of constructing an affordable plan that pleases homeowners in the community while connecting major sidewalk intersections in Homewood.

The Council allotted $5,000 for city engineers to determine if a design-build is the option.