Loose bricks will no longer pose safety threats to students strolling near the library.

A new sidewalk will be constructed in the recessed area between the east side steps and the west side steps north of the Founders Memorial Library.

The sidewalk will be the same width as the library’s staircases, which are eight feet wide.

Eddie O’Donnell, superintendent of building maintenance, said the cost of the whole project should be under $5,000.

Physical Plant Interim Director John Gardner said installation of the sidewalk came about for safety reasons.

“Some of the bricks were loose and people were tripping over them,” Gardner said. “A sidewalk is the best possible solution to the safety problem.”

O’Donnell said the bricks have been in place since the construction of the library in 1975.

“Years of DeKalb weather and frost have pushed up the bricks to the point where the area was unsafe,” O’Donnell said.

Gardner said the area north of the library has been a trouble spot for many years.

“We have looked at various remodeling designs for the area, and no solution has been arrived at in the past,” he said.

Gardner said the project should be completed some time this week, providing there are no weather problems which can delay the process.

“If it rains, we have to wait until the ground is dry before the cement is laid,” he said.