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Planning & Zoning Board December 14, 2005 Page 12 • amount of impervious surface goes up with sidewalks. He is not for sidewalks. He understands safety issues, but does not see the need to pursue the issue. • • Mr. Rafferty remarked that he thinks sidewalks would be beneficial in the new development near city hall. But overall, he echoed Mr. Nelson's comments. He likes his yard the way it is, with grass to the curb. He is not in favor of making a recommendation to move forward with this issue. He thinks it is a personal opinion. He did agree that it could be more beneficial to get more people's opinions. But until there is more time to gather more information, he is not inclined to go forward. Mr. Hyden expressed that he moved out here to get away from city. He like his yard, but is not closed minded to sidewalks. He agrees they are okay in some settings. He would, however, be the person who would not want the sidewalk in front of his house. His opinion may not match those of other citizens, though, so he would like to poll others. Mr. Tralle was in favor of sidewalks in new additions. He lives on the north side where there are no bike trails. He sees elderly people walking in street, which is a safety issue. He not only likes them for safety, but because they join communities together. He stated that if one kid is saved by them, they are worth every penny. He is a proponent of sidewalks. Mr. Root clarified again that this issue is being addressed for new subdivisions only, therefore people would have the choice to move in or not. Mr. Rafferty suggested it may be a good idea to continue to look at this issue. He suggested they poll neighbors as to new developments with sidewalks, in order to get a feeling for what people think. He thinks there is merit in the question as well as further discussion, regardless of the outcome. He asked if the issue could be put on a council agenda as a topic of conversation. Mr. Grochala addressed the issue by saying that there are many good reasons to put in sidewalks, and there are currently stretches of sidewalk within the city. However, the major concern is that the city is not in a financial condition to deal with sidewalks. The city is having trouble replacing streets. He does not see how they would reasonably be replaced in the future. While he thinks there are positives in bringing this to the table, they need to deal with existing maintenance problems. As a city with the current charter requirements, he cannot ensure that maintenance could take place. Mr. Laden commented that he does not think that sidewalks degrade at the same rate as streets do, and they do not cost as much to repair. He thinks residents would be more inclined to pay for sidewalk repair over street repair. Mr. Rafferty wondered if the question would merit being on the city survey going out to residents. Mr. Grochala replied that he can certainly forward that on to the city administrator to pose to the council. He noted, however, that they are trying to get the survey out the door as soon as possible.