The City of Sheridan has received a $101,048 grant to begin planning improvements to its downtown sidewalk system.
In an exclusive one-on-one interview with Deltaplex Radio’s Haleigh Reichen, Sheridan Mayor Cain Nattin discussed the discuss the city’s newly awarded grant.
Nattin said the funding will be used for the engineering and design phase of the project, which is the first step toward eventually creating a publicly maintained sidewalk system.
The engineering phase will determine what work needs to be completed and includes detailed surveys of downtown properties.
Approximately $40,000 to $50,000 of the grant has been allocated for surveying, allowing engineers to establish property boundaries and determine what is needed to move privately owned sidewalks into the public system.
He said the goal is to create a sidewalk system that can be maintained by the city for future generations.
Nattin said the city intends to work closely with downtown property owners throughout the process rather than imposing changes. He acknowledged that business owners are primarily focused on operating their businesses and said the city views the project as a way to assist them, not create an additional burden.
The Sheridan mayor also emphasized that property owners and business owners will not be responsible for any costs associated with the engineering phase. The grant fully funds the surveying and design work.
According to Nattin, many of Sheridan’s downtown sidewalks are privately owned because they were constructed decades ago as part of individual properties rather than as public infrastructure. While that practice was more common at the time, he said publicly maintained sidewalks make it easier to maintain infrastructure, improve accessibility and pursue grant funding.
He also said much of the project is located along Highway 270, or West Center Street, where private property lines intersect with Arkansas Department of Transportation right-of-way. The surveys funded by the grant will help determine exactly who owns each portion of the sidewalks and surrounding property.
The engineering grant will also fund design work, environmental reviews if needed, ADA accessibility planning, right-of-way coordination, construction plans and cost estimates. While the grant will not pay to replace sidewalks, Nattin said it will provide the information needed to determine the scope and cost of future construction and identify the best path toward bringing the sidewalks into the public system.
Once the engineering work is complete, Nattin said the city expects to evaluate whether additional state or federal funding will be needed for construction. He said the engineering phase will produce the cost estimates needed to pursue those grants, adding that many funding opportunities favor projects that are already “shovel ready.”
Because the engineering process has not yet begun, the Sheridan mayor said he could not provide a timeline for when construction might begin. He said completing the design phase will position the city to move forward more quickly once additional funding becomes available.
Looking ahead, Nattin said he hopes downtown Sheridan will become a safer, more accessible and more inviting place over the next five years. His vision includes continuous, ADA-compliant sidewalks that are easier for families, seniors and visitors to navigate while supporting local businesses. He said he also hopes to preserve the character of Sheridan’s historic downtown while creating infrastructure that will serve the community for generations to come.
