Some community members in Brooksville have been wondering about the sidewalk construction project on Howell Avenue in Brooksville.
The historic sidewalks in downtown Brooksville are being renovated to bring them into compliance with current ADA standards. The old limestone rock wall has been removed. The county is managing the project and it is funded through the Local Agency Program (LAP) with the Florida Department of Transportation. The county distributes the funding for the project since they are the certified LAP agency.
County Engineer Mark Guttman explains, “During the design process it became evident that a retaining wall was required along portions of the sidewalk project. The decision was made by the City to replace several of the non-matching retaining walls with brick faced, cast in place concrete retaining walls. Several public meetings were held at City Hall with residents to solicit input on the finish material to be utilized on the walls during construction. Selection of the finish type was completed by the City through this process. The brick finish on the retaining walls will be installed as part of the sidewalk project.”
Concern was expressed over the removal of the limestone rock wall because of its historic value. Guttman explains, “The construction contract calls for the contractor to take ownership of all materials associated with the demolition of the existing walls. However, during the demolition of the existing sidewalk we were able to safely remove a section of sidewalk with a historic date… This segment of sidewalk is currently on display at Russell Street Station.”
Don Moses of the Historic Hernando Preservation Society led the efforts to save the historic sidewalk at 410 Howell Avenue and Olive Street. The sidewalk is marked January 6, 1914.