Carson City looking at grant for N. Carson sidewalk improvements

Carson City Public Works plans to apply for funds to make sidewalk improvements along a portion of North Carson Street.

The funds would come from a federal Community Development Block Grant and would be used to add wheelchair access along the east side of Carson Street from John Street to Bath Street.

The area serves a low to moderate income population, which is one of the requirements for the CDBG funds.

The application has to be approved by the Board of Supervisors, but was presented as an information-only item to the Regional Transportation Commission during its meeting Wednesday.

During public comment, several members of the staff of Sierra Nevada Health Center on Research Way, including Walter Davis, chief executive officer, spoke to ask the city not to relocate a Jump Around Carson bus stop now in front of the clinic.

The city is proposing to make several changes to the JAC bus routes, discussed at last month’s RTC meeting, and held an informational open house Tuesday and opened a 30-day public comment period in mid-December.

Before Sierra Nevada Health Center opened on Research Way, the JAC route traveled on College Parkway, made a jog up to Hot Springs Road, then down Goni Road back to College Parkway.

When the clinic opened the city agreed to make a loop down to Research Way because there was no safe way for bus riders to cross College Parkway to get to and from the health center.

But the change increased the route’s time and now that there’s a traffic light at the intersection and accessibility improvements to the sidewalks, the city proposes removing the stop on Research Way.

The public comment period is open for a few more days, said Patrick Pittenger, Carson City transportation manager.

Comment can be sent to jac@carson.org.

The final plan for route changes will be presented to the RTC at its February meeting.

The RTC also voted to make Brad Bonkowski its chairman and James Smolenski its vice chair.

The Carson Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, which meets before the RTC, voted in Mark Kimbrough as its chairman and Bonkowski as its vice chair.