BUTTE — For years now, a dilapidated raised sidewalk in one of Butte's oldest neighborhoods has been a danger to the community, but that’s about to change as construction is underway to give one more level of connectivity to an already tight-knit neighborhood.
"Well, when it’s all done, I’m going to walk up and down it at least three times and hold onto the railings and say, 'Yahoo! It’s done. It’s beautiful!'" says Mary Wholman, who has lived in Centerville for 50 years.
The little neighborhood perched above Butte near the Mount Con Headframe was once home to a large population of Cornish immigrants who came to Butte to work in the mines that dot the Butte Hill.
Got a minute? Watch our video to explore the history of Centerville and see how the community is celebrating a new safe path for everyone
Over a decade ago, the old mineyard was cleaned of mine waste and turned into a park and trail system. The trail system is well used by all members of the community, but Wholman says accessing the park from her side of Center Street was too dangerous.
"You didn’t want to walk on it, for one thing. And if you did, you prayed that you got to the end okay. They were crumbling and they needed to be done for many years," says Wholman.
As a crew from a private construction company pours concrete on a recent July morning, Anthony Laslovich, the associate vice president and senior engineer with Water& Environmental Technologies, walks the length of the street where the men work.
"The wall was completely compromised and some of the portions of sidewalk were actually made out of wood, and those, of course, were not holding up," says Laslovich.
He says the project is funded by grants from the American Rescue Act Plan and the Superfund Advisory and Redevelopment Trust Authority and will cost around $400,000 when it's all completed in a couple of months.
Laslovich says fixing up the sidewalk ultimately adds more connectivity to Butte's thriving trail system, something that Wholman takes a lot of pride in.
"If you need to walk, you've got a safe place to walk. More people can come up and walk and enjoy the view, and see what we have up here," says Wholman.
