Letter to the Editor: City of Decorah is not being consistent with its sidewalk policies

(The following Letter to the Editor has been submitted by Carol Birkland of Decorah):

"On the sidewalk construction issue, City of Decorah Street Committee members need to answer two questions.  First, why do they listen to some concerns about sidewalks and not others?  And second, why do they implement a sidewalk solution on Locust Road that they had already rejected for Linden and Walnut Streets?

When Linden residents east of Park Street complained that sidewalks could not be constructed because of the steep grade, the Street Committee listened and agreed.  No sidewalks would be built.  When residents west of Park raised concerns and offered a solution, they were not only ignored but eight months later the committee used that very same solution to solve a sidewalk problem on Locust Road.

Everybody knows that traffic on Locust is heavy and fast and anybody who lives on Walnut and Linden knows that traffic is light and slow. When sidewalks were included in the Locust Road improvement plan, residents complained about snow shoveling necessary to clear the sidewalks after every snow plow pass.  The Street Committee listened and decided to put in pedestrian/bike lanes protected by painted lines and rumble strips.

Last spring, Walnut and Linden residents went to City Hall to review a sidewalk construction plan that most did not know anything about.  They were simply told that sidewalks were mandatory, and homeowners would pay for construction.  At that meeting many residents proposed putting in a pedestrian/bike lane protected by a painted line and rumble strip…..

From the beginning the City Council has never justified the Walnut/Linden sidewalk construction plan in terms of the city's overall needs, priorities or economic feasibility.  This is now compounded by the committee's decision to take what it rejected for Walnut/Linden and approve it for Locust Road.  Does the committee believe nobody is paying attention?  Do they not see how ridiculous all of this looks?"