Mendon
council resolves to fund sidewalks and bike paths
By Chari
Ingraham
September 12, 2008 | MENDON -- In a meeting Thursday,
Mendon City Council members passed a resolution to create
a Trails, Bike and Pedestrian Committee to oversee the
safety of children, joggers and bikers on 100 East Street.
The committee will also be responsible for finding
the funds to create sidewalks or pathways to follow
the same road, an issue that has been the subject of
much debate for the council for the past year.
Beginning in August, residents of Mendon welcomed
a new addition to their city: Mountain Side Elementary
School. Haunani Thunell, city council secretary and
part time aide at the school, said although creating
sidewalks has been a long-time issue for the council,
many parents did not become aware of the issue until
the elementary school was built.
Concern was raised when parents realized their children
were walking down 100 East to get to school and back,
a road that is half the width of what it should be and
is often used by large vehicles such as buses and semi
trucks. Every morning, Thunnell walks her three children
to school and every afternoon, she walks them home to
make sure they are safe.
"The city doesn't have the money to build sidewalks
because of the school," she said. "The city has been
thinking about this for a long time, but parents didn't
get involved until the school was built. The public
really helped the school get set up on time." She adds,
"I just hate to hear people complain about what they
don't have."
Larissa Swasey and Greg Smith, two parents who volunteered
to be on the new committee, both presented ideas for
fund raising and school safety projects.
"I'm just a concerned parent," Swasey said. "I live
by that area and I know kids walk that road to get to
school. I see buses and semis come through and that's
what sparked my concern. They also put stop signs in
the day before school started, and people kept running
them."
A mother of four and a resident of Mendon for seven
years, Swasey formed a group of volunteer crossing guards
for the road to the school. She and fellow volunteer
Stephanie Driessen, who is a member of the Mendon School
Community Council, have been looking for ways the city
can raise money for sidewalks without a grant or a loan,
since residents of Mendon have incomes just high enough
to prevent the city from receiving any.
"The city says it doesn't have enough money, but as
a taxpayer, I think the city has some options and should
step up to the plate," said Swasey.
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