PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The City of St. Pete is working to repair and build new sidewalks.
Many areas of the city are lacking in sidewalk access, or have sidewalks that are no longer safe to use. Local residents said while many need repairs, there are some sidewalks that are historic — and should remain that way.
"This is a neighborhood that everyone wants to walk through, bike through," said Heather Brookey.
Walking through the Historic Old North East neighborhood in St. Pete, you can admire the unique hexagon tiled sidewalks — but you may also notice that many are falling apart.
"The roots have played a role in pulling some of the hexagons up and creating a really uneven surface and just in addition to that, the wear and tear, the water that we incur and other things like that," Brookey said .
Brookey lives in the neighborhood and said the sidewalks haven’t been maintained in so long that they are now dangerous to use.
"I think that the uneven surfaces are probably difficult for folks that have immobility issues and also strollers and things like that," Brookey said.
Brookey wants the city to come up with a way to repair the sidewalks without disturbing the history
"All I know is that I want to preserve, I don't want it to be covered up with generic concrete that takes away the historic personality and character of the neighborhoods," said Brookey.
Max McCann agrees.
"Keeping the historical character of a neighborhood and a sidewalk is important…if we can do it, let's preserve that," McCann said.
But he also wants to see more sidewalks around the city.
He said right outside of his job on 4th Street, the sidewalk abruptly ends.
"Every one of our trips starts and ends as a pedestrian. We’ve got to connect these gaps," said McCann.
The City of St. Pete is now asking for input on sidewalks in the city and is currently updating its Sidewalk Master Plan.
People can share their concerns at two virtual public meetings on Sept. 15 and 22.
McCann hopes the city can improve accessibility for everyone.
"Everybody deserves to get home safe," he said.
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