City staff recommends closing gaps in walkway.

Byline: Marcia Nelesen

Apr. 24--The city council did something Monday it hasn't done before, at least in recent memory: Instead of cutting the list of locations for new sidewalks, the council added to the list. The miles of new sidewalk suggested by city staff already is nearly triple the total of past years. City Manager Steve Sheiffer predicted after the meeting that if the council approves the suggested 7.3 miles of new sidewalk, the annual sidewalk controversies could be over. A public hearing on the proposed sidewalks is scheduled Tuesday, May 29. Because of inconsistent codes since the mid-1950s, some Janesville residents are required to have sidewalks and some aren't. In the past, staff presented a yearly sidewalk program and then ducked. Suggestions for new sidewalks usually brought heated protests from residents who didn't want sidewalk. Often, council members capitulated. But over the past seven years or so, council members started to say that at least some sidewalks are needed for safety. And in a major shift last year, the council voted to require sidewalks on both sides of streets in new subdivisions. That still leaves sidewalk gaps all over the city, however, and staff…