Contributing Writer

The long-awaited sidewalks will become a reality very soon in Abita Springs.

Tuesday night the town's Board of Aldermen accepted the low bid of $199,000 from Kevin McDonald Construction of Lacombe to construct three separate sidewalks in the town. Former board member Jonathan Davis applauded the current board members for finally making the sidewalks he has dreamed about a reality.

"My mother-in-law worked on this for the eight years she was on the council. I worked on this for eight years when I was on the council, and now you guys in this short of time have gotten it done," he said.

Mayor Louis Fitzmorris said when Davis was on the council "not a meeting went by where sidewalks were not discussed."

The town received an $180,000 grant from the state to complete the project.

Brad Nobles, an engineer with Kyle and Associates, said the state grant reflects pre-Katrina prices, and he does not see a problem in getting the additional money from the state or working with Kevin McDonald Construction to scale down the project to fit in the budget.

The project includes sidewalks traveling down Level and Main streets from the new traffic circle to Magnolia Street.

This, Fitzmorris said, will provide pedestrian access for residents wishing to visit the post office on one end of Main Street or St. Jane Catholic Church at the other end of Main Street. He said the sidewalks would also provide a safe way for school children to walk to Abita Springs Elementary or Abita Springs Middle School.

The project will also include a sidewalk leading from the intersection of the Tammany Trace and Hickory Street down Louisiana Highway 36 to the Finn Ballpark.

Nobles anticipates the construction on the project to begin in three to four weeks.