Damages arise on downtown brick sidewalks

Damages to brick-paved sections of Main Street haven’t caused alarm among merchants and residents — one small piece missing here, a dislodged brick there — but, taken together, they’ve added up to become an issue the city is exploring how to fix.

The city installed the bricks, which line the outside portions of Main Street sidewalks between Orange Avenue and Five Points, at least a decade ago; city staff was uncertain as to the precise origins. The problems just recently surfaced, however — in more way than one.

“The situation is that there are some trees along Main Street that are lifting up the bricks,” city spokeswoman Jan Thornburg said. “The tree roots are impacting the brick area and the sidewalk.”

The Downtown Improvement District planned to discuss the brick sidewalks at a Dec. 9 meeting before ultimately postponing the conversation. At the time, however, board members signaled a belief that the repairs should be handled by the city, rather than the DID; Thornburg confirmed that the maintenance would fall under the city’s purview.

Michael DelRossi, the city’s engineering manager, is working with landscape architect Phil Smith to ascertain some options for addressing the dislodged bricks. Smith, an outside consultant who frequently works with the city, will eventually provide his recommendations for consideration.

Although the issue made it to the DID, many Main Street merchants weren’t concerned about the growing problems. Several employees at stores near disturbed portions of the sidewalk said they hadn’t heard any complaints, and hadn’t taken note of the dislodged bricks themselves.

Debbie Mitchell, co-proprietor of Kennedy Studios, said that although customers haven’t made note of the disappearing bricks, the city should still feel obligated to make repairs as soon as possible.

“I think it should be done,” Mitchell said. “I think maintenance is important for the appearance of downtown.”

Ann Jackson, owner of PJ’s Boutique, believes there are bigger issues the city should address first.

“I think the main thing we need is to clean up the sidewalks,” Jackson said. “That’s what we’ve been asking for.”

The bricks may not have distressed Main Street merchants, but the city is searching for a fix that will prevent the problem from popping up again.

“We want a long-term solution, rather than just going in and grinding the bricks,” Thornburg said. “We’re looking at how to remedy the situation.”