Leaders seek public input for sidewalks, bike trails, greenways

COLUMBUS — Local residents will have a chance to give input next week on the future of biking and walking in and around Columbus and Tryon.

A workshop is scheduled from 4-7 p.m. on Monday at Columbus Town Hall. Residents are being encouraged to participate by attending the public workshop, completing an online questionnaire and engaging through social media.

Information about the plan will be posted on both Tryon’s and Columbus’ Facebook pages in advance of major milestones and outreach events.

Monday’s meeting will give residents the opportunity to interact with the project team, to learn about the planning process and to provide feedback to help guide the development of the plan.

The meeting will be held in the council chambers, located at 95 Walker St., Columbus. The workshop will be a drop-in format.

Both towns applied for a grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation for the plan, which they were awarded last year. The cost of the project is estimated at $40,000 for each town, with the towns contributing 10 percent, or $4,000 each.

The Polk County Community Foundation pledged last year to pay the full amount of the matching funds to the grant.

The funding will be for the towns to do a comprehensive municipal bicycle and pedestrian plan, which has yet to be created. Columbus Town Manager Tim Barth said this week that Kimley-Horn Engineering, of Raleigh, will design the plan based on public input and what is possible in the towns.

Barth said input will be taken to see where residents would like to see sidewalks, bicycle trails and greenways, where possible.

“We have funding to do a bicycle and pedestrian plan, but we don’t have any money to actually install sidewalks or bicycle paths or any of those items,” Barth said. “The purpose of the plan is so when we go to get funding for those items, we will have a plan, which will give us more points with these funding agencies.”