There has been some criticism of the city’s plan to spend $500,000 to improve West Third Street from Hall Avenue to Hallock Street.

In our opinion, the city’s plan is sound and should move forward.

The emergency removal of the cathedral oaks on West Third Street left a mess on a major city thoroughfare, and it’s always been the intention of city officials to go back into the area to address the mess.

At first glance, it would appear Third Street residents are getting favorable treatment. Replacing individual pieces of sidewalks is the responsibility of city residents, but the city will undertake major repairs to the city’s sidewalk infrastructure as part of street and tree work. Just last year, the city replaced sidewalks and sidewalk aprons on Van Buren Street from Main Street to Prendergast Avenue, Kidder Street from Prospect Street to Main Street; Fifth Street from Main to Pine streets, Jefferson Street from Eighth Street to Isabella Avenue, Bowen Street from Bush to Price streets, on Wildwood Avenue and on Tower Street from Pullman to King streets.

In this case, the first glance is not the full picture. Third Street residents aren’t getting favorable treatment, but are being treated the same as the residents of the other seven streets that had similar sidewalk and apron work done last year and the same as the other streets that will be on the public works schedule this year.

City officials need to figure out a plan to use some of its stimulus money to help neighborhoods. They know that. But projects like the West Third Street project and the other sidewalk and apron projects the city will undertake are important to neighborhoods in their own right by helping people have usable sidewalks and beautifying neighborhoods.

This project makes sense and should move forward.