This is the response sent to the petitioners who oppose
the sidewalk project on State Route 244. It is printed here to keep the
community informed about the project.
I am writing to respond to the concerns in your petition and
to elaborate on the status of the State Route 244 project. Two concerns were stated in the
petition: maintenance, and privacy.
Regarding maintenance the village is willing to do snow removal on the new section
of sidewalk. Given that the useful life of sidewalks is approximately 30 years
we anticipate there should be no repairs for many years.
As for privacy, the engineers are designing several options
including an option to keep the project within the existing foot print which is
approximately 20 feet. That is 12 feet of travel lane and 8 feet of shoulder,
although the shoulder varies a lot. At
this time, it looks like the sidewalk will be on the North (Dollar General)
side of the road. This is largely because the village is putting in a new water
line which will be on that side and placing both on the same side will minimize
disruption.
The main objective of this project is to improve safety for
three groups of users on State Route 244 other than motor vehicles:
pedestrians, bikers, and runners. At this time, it looks like the grant will be
enough to put a sidewalk on only one side of the road. (I should note that the grant does not
require us to put up any cash and it was for the Route 244 Project only, that
is, it can’t be used for anything else). The other side of the road will
continue to have a paved shoulder. The sidewalk can increase the safety for
pedestrians and runners. The improved shoulder can improve the safety for
bikers.
As of now I have spoken to a dozen residents and businesses
along the proposed route and have gotten a lot of input, both positive and
negative. Positives included that a sidewalk, curb, and storm drains could
control water runoff, make the area look more residential, allow safe walking
to the village and improve property values. Replacing existing storm drain
covers and keeping a consistent width on the shoulder would also make it safer
for bikers. The most often stated negative was the expectation by property
owners that they would be responsible for snow removal. Other negatives
included the possibility of losing lawn, and damaging trees. Many people said
they would like to slow down the traffic and we are designing features to do
this such as digital speed indicators and cross walks.
As soon as the engineers complete their designs, we will have
a public meeting to show the various designs and get everyone’s reaction. We
encourage comments now which you can forward to me, any Town Board member, or
clerk Jan Burdick.
Sincerely,
Dan Acton, Supervisor