The Knoxville City Council considered a request from the County this week, to narrow the sidewalks around the Courthouse. City Manager Harold Stewart says the current plan would have constructed an 18-foot-wide sidewalk. He says the County Maintenance Department had concerns about maintaining 18 feet of concrete, and would like to increase green space on the courthouse lawn. Stewart says the project engineer has proposed a 12-foot sidewalk, which includes a two-foot-wide overhang strip with red brick pavers, where the front bumper of a car would be when parked. This will leave a ten-foot-wide sidewalk, which Stewart says will afford comfortable walking space when there are events held downtown.