SPENCER — Four neighbors went along with representatives from the town Thursday afternoon on a beautiful day to talk about plans for the neighborhood behind the Moose Lodge on Salisbury Avenue.

This was the second of a number of planned walks throughout the community to give residents a chance to talk with members of the board of aldermen, the town manager, the mayor and several town leaders.

Along with Town Manager Peter Franzese and Mayor Jonathan Williams, board members Erin Moody and Steve Miller came along, joined by Public Works Director Joel Taylor and Special Projects Coordinator Joe Morris.

The residents who came along all live in the same neighborhood in the Yadkin Road area, and all said they were happy to have a chance to ask questions one on one and to hear about plans that make it clear the town is invested in taking care of residents.

The walk, intended to last an hour, went from the Moose Lodge on U.S. Hwy. 29 to Issac Street, right on Elizabeth to Sowers Ferry Road. The plan had been to turn onto Sowers Road and make the circle, but the conversation was engaging and the group ended up turning around on Sowers Ferry and heading back to the lodge.

All of the residents who attended the walk were excited about ongoing plans for sidewalks along the side of Salisbury Avenue that will eventually connect to the river, and Morris said the town had been approved for funding several years ago from the state for construction costs, and the town is now in the assessment phase of how best to make use of the money.

Tony, a neighbor who said he’d been unsure about attending at first but then decided “I need to be involved in my community,” said he is “very pleased about Spencer’s positive growth.” He said he would encourage other residents to come along for the next walk, a pleasant, low-key event that gave him an opportunity to talk with leaders directly and to feel a connection.

“And that’s definitely the point,” said Franzese. “We are doing all we can to be accessible and to meet people where they are. We want them to know they don’t just have to show up at a meeting and have three minutes to share something.”

One of the more exciting bits of information that came out during the walk was when Morris let everyone know about some funding that was approved by the state for pedestrian projects probably more than a dozen years ago. Over the years, the town has not yet been ready to take on the project and the state has pushed it back, but the funding has remained in place.

According to Franzese, about 10 years ago, the state’s department of transportation funded a project labeled EB-5861, with Federal Transportation Alternative Program (TAP) funding of $3,577,600. That required the town to match 20 percent, or $894,400. But that initial budget did not include things like right-of-way acquisition, design and engineering or project management costs.

In addition, the proposal was not much more than a simple line on a map. But the project would provide sidewalk connections in the neighborhood around North Rowan High School and eventually would connect to the river. The phase currently being discussed is adjusted somewhat from the initial proposal, and would connect 7th Street to Highway 29 via Whitehead, Oakwood and Charles streets. The alignment currently being studied is for a 10-foot wide multi-use path, except where it would be necessary to reduce the width.

The town has worked with the DOT to get permission to use a portion of the funding for panning, design, utilities relocation and right-of-way acquisition in addition to the original construction costs that were permitted in the original funding.

In 2023, the town created a Creating Outdoor Recreation Economies or CORE plan and a part of that plan made note of the need for sidewalks, greenway and trails to connect to assets like downtown and the Yadkin River Trailhead Park. This project certainly aligns with that plan.

Right now, the total cost of the project will clearly require additional funding and investment, as costs have increased for every part of such a project, but the town has been seeking support through state legislative requests to help with the non-federal share of the cost.

Those attending this week’s walk, who live in or near the neighborhood near the high school, asked a number of questions about the goals for sidewalks and were excited by the idea of better walkability in neighborhoods.

Franzese said all the town representatives who participated were not only happy to have people participate, but he hopes that residents may see the walks as an opportunity to come and meet new people with whom they’ve not yet crossed paths.