ELGIN — Children and their parents shouldn’t have to fear walking to school in our community. That what sidewalks are for.
At last week’s Elgin City Council meeting, discussion centered on how to address the issue since some properties have sidewalks in front of them and others don’t.
The issue came to light as part of a request from William Heelan to remove the sidewalk at 403 S. Third Street. In a civil discussion of the issue, council members continued to review the matter, case by case, then approved Heelan’s request. However, he said he won’t act on the matter immediately, preferring to see which direction City Hall intends to go on the matter.
Mayor Mike Schmitt said the issue of sidewalks is growing. Some residents want to remove them because the sidewalks on their property are broken up, or the cost of concrete is too high. But, in many cases, people just don’t use them any more preferring to walk in the street. In some cases, the existing sidewalks are dangerous to walk on due to their condition.
There seems to be a general consensus for making sure there are sidewalks that one can walk from the park to the schools which people can easily have access to. In the coming weeks/months, City Hall will be working towards creating a map designating essential sidewalks.
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