In the Fall of 2021, Weldon In Action started a project to repair the sidewalks in the 300 block of Washington Avenue. Many years before, the 100 and 200 blocks were repaired, upgraded, and a border of memorial bricks was installed between the sidewalk and the curb. At that time, there were insufficient funds to complete the 300 block. In fact, an inventory of plain bricks remains in storage, pending repair of the 300 block. With the Town Council’s knowledge and support, Weldon In Action started raising funds for the project by selling memorial bricks. The goal was to make the block consistent in appearance with the other two blocks of Washington Avenue.

The Town received a grant of about $223,000 from the State’s Rural Transformation Grant program that would fund the reconstruction of the 300-block sidewalks, not just the repair of existing ones.

The project was absorbed in a larger project initiated by the Town Council to design a streetscape and multiple sidewalks for downtown. The Town contracted with Bizzell Designs to provide a holistic design for all three downtown blocks. This created delays in the expected completion date.  Implementing some of the more elaborate designs would cost more than the funds granted to the Town.

To provide community input, Weldon In Action surveyed the purchasers of bricks in October-November 2024 to get opinions about the designs and the overall project.  Findings were presented to the Town Council in December 2024.  Weldon In Action was thanked for collecting and sharing the responses and photographs with the Council.

In a January 2025 Town Council meeting, the Town of Weldon Commissioners voted to have bids collected in two ways - a simplistic bid bringing the sidewalks up to code, as well as a bid with all the bells and whistles itemized.  This will allow the town to determine the bare minimum costs and what "extras" will be financially feasible and take our feedback from the surveys into consideration.

It was shared at that meeting that bids typically take 90 days to collect - then those will be presented to the town officials for the next steps (finalize plans and select a contractor).

Weldon In Action will continue to monitor the situation. WIA members regularly attend Town Council meetings (the public can as well) and also are in touch with the Weldon Town Administrator. Weldon In Action continues to sell engraved brick pavers for those who would like to support this effort. Honor a loved one, share your community pride, and contribute to important projects by purchasing a Brick Paver today.