Sycamore Township trustees voted unanimously on Tuesday to hire TEC Engineering for a $29,985 study examining whether a sidewalk can be built along Montgomery Road in front of Kenwood Towne Centre.
The stretch in question runs along the west side of Montgomery Road from the southbound I-71 ramp to Kenwood Road. According to the township's Request for Qualifications, it has no paved surface or sidewalk for pedestrians, forcing walkers to navigate unpaved shoulders or cut through parking lots to reach the mall and surrounding businesses.
Chairman Tom Weidman, Vice Chairman Tracy Kellums and Trustee Tracy Schwegmann all voted yes, dispensing with the usual second reading to pass the resolution immediately.
What the study covers
TEC Engineering, a firm with offices in Mason and Cincinnati, will survey approximately 1,800 feet of Montgomery Road and develop two preliminary sidewalk designs. One will fully comply with Ohio Department of Transportation multimodal design guidance. The second will incorporate allowable pinch points where space is tight. The firm will compile its findings into a feasibility report with construction cost estimates and next steps for permitting and construction.
Edward R. Williams, a senior vice president at TEC Engineering, submitted the proposal. Michael Gould, the township's assistant road superintendent, is the project contact.
A decade of sidewalk work
The study is part of a broader push. Vice Chairman Kellums wrote in the Spring 2026 Sycamore Quarterly newsletter that the township "has worked hard over the last decade to improve walkability and connectivity," noting sidewalks installed on Hosbrook, Galbraith, Kugler Mill, Euclid, Sycamore and Kemper roads in recent years.
The Montgomery Road project has been in motion since December 2025, when the Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission awarded the township a $15,000 Mini Planning Grant for the sidewalk planning effort. Trustees authorized a Request for Qualifications on March 31, and the RFQ was posted April 22 with proposals due May 29.
The feasibility study is funded in part through Community Development Block Grant dollars administered by Hamilton County Planning + Development, according to the township's RFQ documents.
What's next
The township plans approximately $8 million in capital improvements for 2026, including new sidewalks on Baen, Deerfield, Snider, Solzman and School roads in northern Sycamore Township, according to the Spring 2026 newsletter. Sycamore Township trustees meet the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 6 p.m. at the Township Administration Building, 8540 Kenwood Road.
