City weighs temporary barrier and long‑term rebuild after downtown sidewalk undermined by burned foundations

Public Works and outside consultants told the board the sidewalks adjacent to Fayetteville’s downtown square sit on what remains of foundation walls and coal chutes from burned buildings; with those foundations gone, the soil beneath the sidewalk has voids that undermine the walking surface. Staff showed photos and described extensive deterioration requiring careful planning before reopening pedestrian access.

Houston Matthews, introduced at the meeting as a professional engineer who inspected the site, said the permanent option — removing vertical elements back to the curb and constructing an independent retaining wall that the sidewalk could rest on — is a large structural project and described it as “a six‑figure” retaining solution. Matthews said that, in the short term, the city could demolish the worst sections and install a robust, semi‑permanent barrier while creating an ADA‑compliant pedestrian route from the curb inward to maintain pedestrian access.

Public Works Director Jack Williams said utilities (water meters in the lower sidewalk and sewer lines) and the private ownership of the back lots complicate a full rebuild and that any permanent sidewalk would have to be constructed independently of future building foundations. Board members repeatedly asked about child safety and liability; the engineer and staff emphasized a need for a barrier that pedestrians could not easily breach while still allowing ADA access.

Next steps the board asked staff to pursue included producing a rendering and survey of the site to define demolition limits and elevations, consulting the city’s ADA representative to confirm accessibility requirements for any temporary route, and returning cost estimates and construction documents to the board. No formal action to spend funds was taken at this meeting.