Sandy Springs, which has built nine miles of sidewalks in its five-year history, is staring down a utility it says is delaying a new walkway.
And for now, it seems that Comcast is going to blink first.
The city and the cable company reached a tentative deal this past week that calls for Comcast to pay the cost of moving its facilities out of the way of a sidewalk project on Windsor Parkway.
The catch: Comcast and the city still must work out a new arrangement for who pays the bills on future projects.
“We don’t want the impression of our company as being the one holding up a sidewalk project," said Andy Macke, Comcast’s vice president of government and community affairs.
At issue is a $1.5 million city project to put in new sidewalks and streetscape improvements on the mile-long stretch of Windsor Parkway between Roswell and High Point roads.
The city says Comcast should pay the $25,000 to move its aerial cables on poles alongside the road.
Comcast counters that the standard calls for the city to foot the bill, as it did with the $300,000 to move Georgia Power poles on the project.
City Attorney Wendell Willard told leaders that the city’s franchise agreement with Comcast does not specifically require the city to pay to move utilities. It does for Georgia Power.
And since state law says the city has the right to make utilities move their facilities, the city stopped work on the project, trying to force Comcast’s hand.
The city awarded its contract to build the sidewalks last month, but all activity at the site has stalled during the showdown.
“The people on Windsor Parkway are in limbo,” said Mayor Eva Galambos. “We ought to work this thing out.”
Details on how to do that are expected out in a few days. As of Friday, Comcast had indicated it would pay -- this time -- to move its equipment. That effort should take about a week.
The work would let crews return to the sidewalk project. It also would clear the way for the City Council to meet and discuss changing its agreement with Comcast or develop a new policy for future road widenings, sidewalk installations or other roadway improvements.
Those meetings would begin later this summer.
In the meantime, the city is barreling ahead with several other large sidewalk projects. It expects to complete this fall a new walkway on Lake Forrest Drive underneath I-285 to Hammond Drive.
It also has awarded a contract for crews to build sidewalks on Sandy Springs Circle, which leaders hope to make part of a new downtown, and sections of Hammond Drive near Roswell Road.
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