MANCHESTER — The brick-lined sidewalks of Elm Street were meant to be an attractive complement to the growing improvements the city and businesses were making to the downtown.

But New England winters and heavy traffic have taken their toll over the years, and these brick sidewalks are now spotted with hot top patches and missing bricks, leaving holes and uneven pathways for pedestrians.

The condition of Elm Street’s sidewalks has not gone unnoticed. Local businesses and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce are now pushing city leaders to come through with the nearly $400,000 set aside in Mayor Ted Gatsas’ budget to fix Elm Street sidewalks.

In the chamber’s most recent newsletter, it asked members to contact city officials to ensure the funding is approved. As of last week, more than 20 businesses have reached out to the aldermen.

Look out below

Runners Alley on Hanover Street offers group runs that loop through the downtown on Canal, Commercial, Chestnut and Elm streets. Store manager Betsy Coco said that on these runs, she is constantly yelling out warnings to runners to watch out for divots and bumps in the sidewalks.

“They can be quite treacherous when we’re out running, especially at night time,” said Coco.

Coco said these runs provide another way to bring people downtown and are good for businesses. She has written to not only the alderman who represents the ward in which the store is located, but also to her own ward alderman.

Having worn-down sidewalks presents a poor image to businesses looking to relocate downtown, which currently has a 29 percent office space vacancy rate, the chamber argues in its newsletter. It also points to legal action a woman recently took against the city for an injury she claims was caused by a hole in the Elm Street sidewalk.

“What kind of impression does downtown’s ugly, deteriorating sidewalks make on potential commercial real estate tenants (otherwise known as job creators) before they even see the inside of any downtown building?” the newsletter says.

The money for sidewalk repair for next year would be the first since 2007 dedicated to fixing downtown sidewalks. It would come from an expected surplus this fiscal year, which ends June 30, as well as a portion of a $3 million bond the mayor has budgeted for street and sidewalk repairs. Alderman Joyce Craig, who is helping craft an alternative to the mayor’s budget, said she planned to keep the sidewalk repair money as is because it is an investment in infrastructure.

But Alderman Phil Greazzo questions whether the money shouldn’t go to repairing sidewalks all over the city, not just downtown.

“I really can’t support replacing just Elm Street sidewalks when every street needs sidewalks,” said Greazzo. “I’ve got plenty of Ward 10 sidewalks that need to be replaced.”

Public Works Director Kevin Sheppard said the majority of funds for sidewalks is set aside for repair, not replacement. A big issue for the Elm Street sidewalks, he said, is the shorter life span of brick compared with other materials.

“Some have not withstood the test of time. We have bricks coming out and causing areas of concern,” said Sheppard. “We are looking to replacing some brick sidewalks with concrete. We feel it will be a better sidewalk and last a lot longer.”

50-50 program

The entire city has 400 miles of sidewalk. To keep up with the repairs, Sheppard said, Public Works encourages residents to participate in the 50-50 sidewalk program. Residents who want the sidewalk or curbing on their street replaced can get the city to do the work if willing to pay half of the cost.

Greazzo said the 50-50 program is “a little touchy for me” because he doesn’t see why a resident should pay for a service that should be provided by the city.

Jillian Shedd from the Governor’s Commission on Disability said keeping sidewalks in good condition opens people’s access to businesses and services, and not just people with disabilities. She did concede, though, that tight city budgets can make it difficult to keep up with repair and replacement.

“It’s a struggle for every municipality and organization,” said Shedd.

Although there is no federal requirement outlining the proper condition of city sidewalks, the U.S. Access Board has guidelines that say sidewalks and rights of way should have stable, firm and slip resistant surfaces.

Under Gatsas’ proposed budget, $380,000 of the $3 million bond would go to Elm Street sidewalks. There would also be about $19,000 from this year’s surplus going to downtown sidewalks and an additional $150,000 to the 50-50 sidewalk fund.