New sidewalks coming to Rialto near Carter High
By Josh Dulaney, Staff Writer
RIALTO -- Demitri Thomas hasn't read Shel Silverstein, but one could say he knows "Where the Sidewalk Ends."
That would be on the west side of Linden Avenue at Wildflower Street, south of Wilmer Amina Carter High School.
Every day after school, the 14-year-old freshman kicks up dust on a dirt path sprinkled with gravel and trash, passing a smattering of houses down to Bohnert Avenue, where he picks up chips and a drink at Rosa's Deli and Market.
Thomas spoke one word when he learned the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 26 unanimously approved a 585-foot sidewalk.
"Good," he said.
The project will cost $161,780.
About $145,000 came through a grant from the State Safe Routes to School, under the state's last budget. The rest was cut from a lump sum of gas tax funds the county received from the state, officials said.
"Projects like this have built-in benefits," said Supervisor Josie Gonzales, 5th district supervisor. "They provide safety for our students and their aesthetics instill community pride while enhancing the desirability of our neighborhoods."
The project is scheduled to begin in mid-September and take a couple months to complete, officials said.
Students like Thomas say it can't happen soon enough, hopefully before the rains turn the dirt to mud.
Myiesha Caldwell knows the trail well.
The 17-year-old senior has walked it almost daily since transferring to the school last year, passing the back yards where a shed rests here and a rusty swing-set stands there.
She heads for the bus stop, like many students, as others drive by, blasting rap music or various incarnations of heavy metal.
"It sucks," Caldwell said. "My sandals always get stuck in the rocks."
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