The bricks were laid last week on the southern Milton Avenue sidewalk between Freeman and Lamont Avenues in Solvay, just in time to receive the season’s first snowfall.
The sidewalk renovation was part of the village’s streetscape project, the first phase of which brought sidewalk benches to the north side of Milton Avenue, said former Superintendent of Public Works Dave Pettitt.
The sidwalk project began more than year ago, but was held up due to weather and insurance problems, Pettitt said.
“It’s nice when a project comes together. I had hoped to have it all completed by the time I left,” he added. Pettitt officially retired last month and Mark Cozzolli was hired as his replacement.
“It should move forward without any real problem,” Pettitt said of the transition to Cozzolli and the future of the project.
The streetscape plan, which will include similar sidewalk renovations to areas between Charles and Caroline Avenues and Lamont and Hall Avenues, was made possible through Onondaga County community development grants, Pettitt said. Business owners in the area have been cooperative and taken the initiative to purchase flower boxes to help dress up the sidewalk as well.
But the East side of the village is not getting all of the attention.
“We do have some grants we’ve applied for, for the west end … there’s a lot cooking on both ends of the village,” Pettitt said.
