A final plan to determine which properties in Ames need a sidewalk is nearing completion.

The Pedestrian Walkway Advisory Committee will most likely make its final presentation to the city council on March 22, Ames Public Works Director Paul Wiegand said.

“We’re working with a committee that’s made up of area residents, and they are looking at the development of criteria for the installation of sidewalks; their main focus has been for sidewalks adjacent to arterial streets,” Wiegand said. “They’ve also developed a level of priority for those locations.”

Wiegand said the committee made an evaluation list that should be considered in looking at each property’s need for a sidewalk. This list includes physical impediments that make it difficult to install a sidewalk, whether there is a sidewalk on the other side of the street or if there is a safe alternative location for walking.

The plan has several options to satisfy citizens’ concerns. One of the important concerns was financing. Citizens were unhappy that they would possibly be responsible for the cost, which, depending on the property, could be very high.

“There’s been several finance options being proposed. Kind of the standard position is that the property owner wouldn’t pay any more than the usual cost of small amounts of grading, the concrete itself or sod,” Wiegand said. “Anything unusual, like utilities, would be picked up by the city.”

Wiegand said the committee has also been discussing the possibility of an incentive program, where if someone voluntarily installed their sidewalk in advance, the city would pay 50 percent of the cost. Low or no interest loans from the city are another option.

At this point, it is recommended that the program be implemented during a five-year period, Wiegand said.

The formation of the committee was in response to the reaction the city received after proposing the program last fall.

The city held a series of forums before forming a smaller committee to draft a new plan. Some citizens are still unhappy with the committee, which is primarily made up of residents who don’t have sidewalks.

Ames resident Tom Scott didn’t agree with the plan.

“If and when they make me do sidewalks, I’ll end up with about $10,000 dollars of cement around my house, and my bushes will come up,” Scott said.

He said he was unhappy with the formation of the committee, because it still wasn’t clear if there was a need for sidewalks.

“Who has really come up and said, ‘We need to do these sidewalks?'” Scott said. “It can’t be safety; do we have a bad safety record?” Wiegand said the committee has received a positive reaction from most citizens.

“They’ve worked very hard to understand the need for sidewalks in particular areas and in specific issues,” Wiegand said. “Most importantly is the lack of sidewalks along the major streets, where the safety concerns are most prevalent.”

The Pedestrian Walkway Advisory Committee will present its proposal at a public forum at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 17.