By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

HELENA–The youth football and soccer fields at the Helena Sports Complex will soon be getting new concrete sidewalks in the coming weeks after the Helena City Council approved an expenditure request at the Monday, Aug. 17 Helena City Council meeting.

An expenditure request of $10,000 was approved by the council to appropriate funds to complete a double concrete sidewalk to replace the current gravel walkway.

Helena Mayor Mark Hall said that this time last year the funding wasn’t available but now that the funds are available, this project needs to be completed.

“We’ve got a walkway we need to do at the youth football field that we didn’t do last year because the funding ran short,” said Hall. “We do need to look at that and allocate a $10,000 appropriation for finishing that sidewalk so that we’re in compliance.”

The walkway leading to the football and soccer fields are currently gravel and can pose problems for those traveling in wheel chairs.

The council members found it necessary to go ahead and approve the funds to install concrete walkways to make it easier for those handicapped individuals to make their way to the youth fields.

The Helena youth football and soccer seasons begin in early and mid-September and the plan is to try and have the sidewalks completed for the start of the seasons.

Hall said that calls would be made as soon as Tuesday, Aug. 18 to go ahead and get the project on the move.

The funding for the new sidewalks would come out of the city’s general fund.