Sidewalk project welcome upgrade

Johnny Johnson says he knows a good thing when he sees it.

And what he's seeing this December afternoon certainly is a good thing. Workers of Capriati Construction are on their knees, across from his G Street house, planing wet concrete that soon will harden into the first sidewalk ever in this hardscrabble area of west Las Vegas.

"No more walkin' in the street," Johnson, 69, says with an appreciative, almost giddy, laugh. "That's what we've been doin' on the west side for the last 50-something, 60 years. Walkin' in the street.

"It's gonna be good now. It's a good thing."

Family and friends join the former professional alto sax player outside to watch the work, which is part of a five-month area project targeted for completion by April 9.

Technically, it's called the City of Las Vegas Sidewalk Infill Project, Area 6B, Phase 1.

To Johnson and others who live in neighborhoods within the borders of Owens Avenue, H Street and Interstate 15, it's called "about time."

About time folks in wheelchairs and assistance scooters will be able to get around safely, thanks to sidewalks with corner ramps that meet standards set by the Americans With Disabilities Act.

About time children don't have to walk in the dirt or on broken, scattered curbing to go to school or to friends' houses.

About time the neighborhood, in the words of multiproperty owner Phil Fisher, "finally looks clean, looks more like it's supposed to look like."

There certainly are no negatives to the project, which mirrors one being conducted in an area of downtown Las Vegas bounded by Carson and Charleston boulevards, Maryland Parkway and Ninth Street.

Work on both projects began Nov. 12 after the city of Las Vegas received a $2.2 million community development block grant from the federal government. Most of the grant - $1.8 million - is going to the first of three phases.

Plans for Phases 2 and 3 are in design and the city likely will have to find additional funding to complete those, city spokesman Jace Radke said.

But what is already under way in Phase 1 of west Las Vegas is a huge step in righting some significant injustices in the ward of City Councilman Ricki Barlow.

"We're talking about areas in the heart of downtown Las Vegas. They've never had sidewalks and they should," Barlow says. "When I was out doing an assessment of my constituents, they asked me, 'Why don't we have sidewalks? We've never had them.'

"When I researched it, I found no reason that I could respond with."

Barlow, who represents Ward 5, and Ward 3 councilman Bob Coffin, worked both with their staffs and the council to secure the funding that would provide sidewalks, sidewalk ramps, fresh curbing and street gutters for some of the city's oldest, and oft-neglected, residential areas.

Typically, sidewalk improvements are the responsibility of property owners, but the grant will cover the cost of all pedestrian improvements, whether new or just being upgraded.

In Barlow's ward, that's 3.3 miles of sidewalks, 149 sidewalk ramps and 3,000 feet of fresh driveway access along the sidewalks. Streets with some existing sidewalks will be smoothed into the new construction. Admittedly, there have been some inconveniences for residents, such as limited street parking and moving fences and retaining walls that property owners inadvertently placed on the public right of way.

"But there hasn't been much pushback over what we're doing," says Jeremy Leavitt, a city program manager. "I think most people understand that what we're out here doing is something that will improve their quality of life."

What most pleases Barlow is the wheelchair access that the new sidewalks will provide for the elderly and disabled. In the past, they had to hug the sides of the streets - while dodging traffic - as they made their way around their insular community.

"They've been traveling up and down the streets a long time, and it makes me feel really good to be in a position to help make things like this happen," Barlow says.

Even Capriati Construction's project foreman, Frank Pelton, has heard the appreciation of residents as he and his crew have made their way around the west side streets, first digging up ground and then blocking off the areas for construction.

"I've heard comments like 'Man, I've been here 20, 30 years and I ain't never seen a sidewalk here.' You can really tell they're happy about all of this," he says.

Perhaps none more happy than Johnson, who has lived at his G Street address for eight years and on the west side for more than 50.

"We don't see a lot of good things happen here," he says, his enthusiastic tone briefly turning serious. "It's like time forgot all about us. ...

"But this is gonna be good," he adds, suddenly perking back up. "This definitely is gonna be a good thing. I can see it."

Contact reporter Joe Hawk at jhawk@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2912. Follow him on Twitter: @RJroadwarrior.