By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- The village board has authored a Complete Streets policy that if implemented will give the DPW and private property owners uniform standards for building new roadways and sidewalks.

“Won't see any immediate changes. You’ll see changes, let’s say if (DPW Superintendent) Hassan Fayad is designing a new street. Let’s say we’re putting in sidewalks … or fixing ones that are already there. You won’t see immediate changes, but as we go forward these guidelines will be visited and taken into consideration,” Currier said.

The board still has to adopt the guidelines into law, which will have to go before a public hearing. Currier said he anticipates the board will set a hearing date at their Dec. 20 meeting.

Over the last couple of years, citizens and officials have raised pedestrian safety concerns in the area of School Street, which runs between J.W. Leary Junior High and Nightengale Elementary. That lead to the board pursuing Complete Streets.

“I was walking two dogs around 7 this morning and I was nervous in that area … I knew it wasn’t really good but it’s the first time I’d been on foot at that hour in that area,” Currier said at Tuesday’s village board meeting.

Lebire said the policy is written in such a manner that he believes it won’t tie a future board’s hands if something unexpected comes up.

“Gives us flexibility to continue to use expertise of department heads … doesn’t lock us into something we can’t walk back from,” he said. “We took our time and really went through and didn’t take a boilerplate … borrowed some of the best from other areas.”

The plan is posted on the village’s website and is available from the village offices.