Sidewalk Plans and Applications for ARPA Funding Considered by La Crosse Plan Commission

The idea of ​​putting sidewalks in a south La Crosse neighborhood isn’t going away anytime soon.

Some residents of the Hintgenschoolbuurt are once again asking city officials not to build sidewalks in their neighborhood. They told the city commission for spatial planning on Monday.

The City Council voted in April to move forward with the sidewalks, despite neighborhood surveys showing that most people living near Hintgen say concrete paths aren’t needed. City Engineer Matt Gallager says sidewalks have been part of the neighborhood’s long-term plan for years, and he told the committee that “the time for waiting is over.”

La Crosse city leaders are also working on ways to spend the remaining ARPA aid money allocated by Washington during the COVID pandemic.

The city received just over $20 million to help with COVID-related needs, and now has about $1 million left to spend before the end of the year.

Members of the planning commission have discussed a number of those ideas, including a proposal to use leftover funds to pay for some projects that have already begun, thereby reducing the amount of borrowing the city must take out. Many of the actions taken by the planning commission are being discussed by the City Council’s two committees, which meet this week on Tuesday and Wednesday.