Brick Street Improvement Fund

Specific Need

The Brick Street Improvement Fund is set up to help continue to maintain the brick streets in the City of Valley Falls. The Brick Streets help the city in several different ways.

• Historic Preservation
• Good for the environment
• Create Safety Zones
• Durability

So why should we save brick streets?  There are many reasons for retaining and restoring these historic treasures.  Three points that make the strongest case.

Brick streets last longer.  Their durability far outweighs the initial expense of restoration/repair. Asphalt streets must be replaced every fifteen years or so.  In Valley Falls, there are brick streets that are either a century old or certainly approaching that age that are still in good use and in most cases, those streets have been largely left to pure neglect.

Brick streets are good for the environment.  Their permeability allows for rain and melting snow to return to the groundwater source as clean, naturally filtered water instead of overwhelming the storm sewers and carrying polluted water to the river. Not to mention, brick streets lie at the correct elevation for which they were originally engineered and promote the best drainage (when they are not covered in layers of asphalt).

Brick streets create safety zones.  Cars naturally must drive more slowly on brick streets and thus, pedestrians and children at play are immediately placed into a safer environment.  There is no need for ugly speed bumps and other deterrents.  As a matter of fact, traffic that normally would cut through residential areas will tend to drive elsewhere.

Mission

Our mission is to enrich the quality of life in Valley Falls while building an attractive, inviting, and secure community. We strive to make the City of Valley Falls a prosperous environment for our employees, businesses, and residents. We pledge to work in partnership with our residents to foster community pride, to develop a vibrant, diversified economy, to plan for the future, and to preserve and enhance the natural beauty of our environment.

Profile

Donations to this fund will be used to maintain and ensure the long-term operation of the brick streets. The current brick streets have been in place for many years and, with maintenance, will continue to serve our community long into the future.