ROCKLAND — The city of Rockland hopes to improve its sidewalks, and possibly incorporate the Harbor Trail into some of the upcoming work that benefits pedestrian walkways.

On Wednesday, March 5, the Rockland City Council will hold a special public hearing on a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant application the city’s Community Development Director is now completing. Community Development Director John Holden said the preliminary grant is due March 28 and the public hearing is necessary for it to be on the City Council’s agenda for March 10. The hearing begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

“We are considering submitting the grant for to [help make] improvements to a number of side street sidewalks in the downtown,” said Holden. “When we get into sidewalks we have to deal with the underground infrastructure, so that we separate sanitary and storm water runoff. We want to look at just doing it all and and that adds costs to sidewalks.”

Holden said the city would not be able to do all the sidewalks, but is specifically looking at Winter, School, Elm, Museum, Tillson, Summer and Union streets. The city is also looking to finish the intersection of Park and Main on the northeast side.

The Harbor Trail is something Rockland hopes to enhance using tax increment financing district funds.

“When it comes down to sidewalks that are in disrepair and a bridge for Harbor Trail, the priorities we have are to look at sidewalk safety first,” said Holden. “I had been hopeful in working in part of Harbor Trail into portions of the downtown grant, but given the input that I’ve got, the sidewalks are the priority with citizens and businesses of the downtown.”

Holden said it is important the city describes what the money will be used for because Rockland must produce matching funds for the grant to be considered. If the council does not commit matching funds, the grant cannot be submitted.