Riverside’s town council is expected next week to accept a bid for construction of a boardwalk at Riverside Landing.

Mayor Rusty Jessup said bids will be opened at 10 a.m. Monday and presented to the council when it meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday.  The work should begin shortly afterward, but officials won’t know how long it will take until a contractor is approved, he added.

Construction of the boardwalk, to be 400 feet long by eight feet wide, along the western edge of the waterway, will finish the first phase of the Riverside Landing project, Jessup said.  “Phase Two will be the renovations of the marina building and paving the parking lot.  It will start after we get some more money, maybe next year.”

The town’s financial situation shows signs of improvement, according to second quarter reports the mayor presented to the council last week.

“Our sales tax numbers have stabilized and are actually slightly above where they were at this time last year,” he said.  “So are our business licenses and permits and other tax revenues.  This is good news because it means we can make a confident estimate of what our future spending can be.”

Jessup declined to pronounce Riverside’s budget crisis over.

“I can’t go so far as to say we have turned the corner or that we are bouncing back, but I am cautiously optimistic that we have done just that,” he said.  “The council and I share the feeling that we have righted this ship and we have our fingers crossed for smooth sailing ahead.”