It’s only 237 feet long, but a gap in the sidewalk along Gunderson Lane near 2000 East, poses a danger to people who walk in that area, according to nearby residents. Gunderson Lane is at approximately 4100 South. Children traverse the area to get to Crestview Elementary School, and many others walk and jog along that stretch of road. 

Now, Boy Scout Troop 384 from the Holladay area has taken on the challenge of seeing if a sidewalk could be built there as part of their Citizenship in the Community merit badge.

“The boys really wanted a project where they felt they could impact real change,” said Joel Thompson, a merit badge counselor.

The troop conducted a study which included a project description, project costs and benefits. 

The Boy Scouts found that completing the gap in the sidewalk would create 1,670 linear feet of continuous sidewalk. They garnered support from the two homeowners whose residences span the sidewalk gap. They projected the cost to be $30,625. 

The boys also surveyed 13 households on El Dorado Drive and Woodside Drive, of which nine homeowners stated that the issue was a high priority for them.

“We understand that Holladay City doesn’t allocate a lot of money for such projects and that money has to be spread to many projects,” Thompson said. “So we are hoping to generate funding through government grants donations of product and services from the community, and other yet-to-be-determined sources.”   

But Scout leaders admit they don’t know how long the fundraising efforts could take, or if they will even be successful.

Holladay City Manager Randy Fitts said this project, along with other similar issues such as street lighting and other sidewalk requests, is prompting the city to consider developing a policy on how to prioritize those requests. The city council will study the issue further in upcoming meetings and may have a policy in place early next year.

“We have fewer than $50,000 for curb, gutter and sidewalk projects every year. We could probably use 10 times that amount,” he said.

Fitts said higher priority will probably be given to projects around elementary schools, then junior highs and high schools.