Photo: Kendall Buhl/WBZ NewsRadio
NEWBURYPORT, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A Newburyport official is catching some flack for her proposal on the city's downtown sidewalks.
City Councilor Jennie Donahue wants to get rid of the city's mandate that brick be the only material used to repair the sidewalks. Donahue says brick is expensive and, when uneven, can be unsafe for people with disabilities or mobility issues.
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"I certainly have had many folks come to me with issues," Donahue told WBZ NewsRadio Friday. "They can’t get off their own properties because the sidewalk is impassible."
Instead, Donahue is proposing crews use cement or other materials to fix the sidewalks.
The idea is meeting resistance from residents like Stephanie Niketic, who says the brick sidewalks are cherished by locals and visitors alike.
"The charm of the downtown, the authenticity, they draw people in, but it’s also part of what people who live here enjoy about the city," Niketic said.
As for the accessibility issue, Niketic told WBZ NewsRadio the brick sidewalks are ADA compliant.
Author James Roy, who also lives in Newburyport, agrees that Donahue's proposal would hurt the city’s historic aesthetic and its tourism revenue.
"I can tell that just by walking down my street in the summertime, with tourists walking by and the annual open garden that they have every year, which is a huge draw in town," Roy said. "You just listen to what people say, and they just think that’s fantastic."
Roy does not believe the proposal has any chance of passing, and when the subject came up at a recent subcommittee meeting, Donahue admitted she expected to be "crucified" for the proposal.
WBZ's Kendall Buhl reports.