It's a tad late in reporting this, and I apologize. At the last Trails Committee meeting, we discussed current and future bike & pedestrian "circulation facilities" - paths, trails, sidewalks, etc. Since the committee submitted its Safe Routes to School application to the state, the committee cannot do much relative to that initiative until we hear a response back on whether or not we got the grant. So that's when Chairman Dave Fowler opened the discussion for other potential areas where the Trails Committee should talk about in terms of enhancing or creating new pedestrian access.
I mentioned Puetz Road.
As noted several times in the past on this website, the desire for a sidewalk along Puetz has been in the minds of some residents for many years. Families in particular would appreciate one for their children attending Forest Park Middle School. As of right now, if a child wants to get to the school by foot or bike and lives south of Puetz, they'd have to walk or ride along a shoulderless Puetz to 81st Street, take 81st north to where it curves into Lake Pointe Drive, and take a sidewalk which morphs into a manmade path to the school. Needless to say, it's not a very appealing option for either parents or students. In fact, I'd argue that it is extremely dangerous - more-so than what was present along 51st Street prior to its reconstruction.
When I campaigned in the subdivisions along Puetz, many residents expressed that whoever wins, the alderman should work on getting a sidewalk on at least one side of the street, for safety's sake. While I'm not an alderman, being on the Trails Committee I saw an opportunity to bring these concerns to a greater light and took it. This matter became much more serious when some aldermen, such as CCP Steve Taylor, took the position that sidewalks are not constructed unless a road is budgeted for new or reconstruction. These aldermen observe that there are no funds set aside for sidewalks, and some don't feel the need to be willing to make motions to approve funds for independent sidewalk projects with no specific budget for them.
Therefore, all of this will now be discussed by the Trails Committee, which could include several possible recommendations to the Common Council. We're meeting on Thursday, September 9th at 6pm for those who are interested.
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