Janell, you're right! (the Mayor responds to a Letter to the Editor)

Did you see the Letter to the Editor posted in the January 11 edition of the Chetek Alert? Here's how it reads:

Imagine strolling through our beautiful downtown streets, perusing the unique shops, smelling the delectable scents wafting from the bakery, pondering which restaurant to get a bite to eat from or just walking up and down Main Street, reveling in all the sights, sounds and glory downtown Chetek has to offer.

Now, imagine doing all of these things as a blind person. My name is Janell Groskreutz and I am a blind individual who has been a proud citizen of Chetek for almost 20 years. My concern is the condition of the downtown sidewalks. They are sadly deteriorating at a rapid pace. As you can imagine, this poses a safety concern for me traveling with a cane or with my guide dog. My cane continuously gets caught in the large cracks and broken concrete. This poses the threat of tripping or even falling. This is also affecting the thousands of tourists who choose to visit and patronize our resorts, businesses, events and festivals. [My emphasis added]

These sidewalks are also a huge hindrance for those in a wheelchair, and virtually impossible for someone using a walker to partake in and enjoy the downtown experience safely.

In addition to the obvious safety hazards, we must also strive to maintain the aesthetic value of beautiful downtown Chetek, as it continues to attract thousands of tourists every year, helping our local economy flourish and provide income for countless businesses, schools, resorts and families.

I fully understand the expense for the city would be considerable; however, I believe if we are proactive rather than reactive, it will prove to be a money-saving endeavor, avoiding an injury and subsequent medical bills or perhaps a lawsuit, further dwindling an already tenuous city budget.

Who is responsible for repairing/maintaining the downtown sidewalks? Is it the business owners, the city budget or a combination of the two? Does the city have plans to replace/repair the sidewalks, or is it something the business owners need to pursue?

Janell Lenbom-Groskreutz

Chetek

I hit this I don't know how many times when I shovel snow

First of all, Janell, I don't know if you're a person of faith but if you preached this message at my church you would get a loud “Amen!” from my corner of the sanctuary. You are so right. Our sidewalks are in a woeful state of disrepair. (In fact, I wrote about this back in August and you can click on this link if you care to read it: Everything falls apart) In any case, thank you for speaking out about this matter. Every 4^th of July weekend how many thousands of guests descend upon our town and line the main drag for the Liberty Fest parade? At the very least we should feel a little chagrin that many sections of sidewalk are an eyesore if not an accident ready to happen. And this is to say nothing about people like yourself who live here and are already limited in their ability to get around. Somebody oughta do something!

To answer your question as to who is responsible for repairing and maintaining the downtown sidewalks, other than, say, the walk in front of Main Street Park, it is up to the property owner to improve those sections of walk in front of their business. If they choose to replace sections of sidewalk, the city crew will handle the job but they are assessed for labor and materials. Which is why many business owners probably opt to not to repair them. They're not cheap.

She's so smart and great with kids, too!

One of things I have come to learn about my position as mayor is that when I don't know something ask Carmen (our City Clerk) – she's better than Google! When she and I had this same conversation this past summer, she called around to area municipalities and discovered that while some communities have a similar approach to replacing walkways as we do, the city of Barron spreads the expense over the tax rolls under the premise that everyone benefits from good sidewalks in their business district. I like that approach and I'd like to see that implemented here. Chetek, like so many other towns, has a street schedule ensuring that every year several sections of road are repaved. I am of the opinion that we should have a sidewalk schedule as well. It's cheaper to do a block at a time as opposed to fixing a square here and there.

It won't be long before they'll be back!

So, I'm with you, Janell. In fact, I'm hoping that I can snag some funds this winter from outlay accounts in our present budget to at least get a start on a long-term goal to replace all the sidewalks in the downtown area. Personally, I'd love if we could start with section between Moore and Knapp Streets if only so I don't have to keep hitting that dang water pipe in front of Ohde's Drug every time it snows but I'll defer to the Street Committee to make the final call. While it's always preferable to keep looking up I appreciate your reminder that for the time being we have to keep watching where we walk lest we fall – literally! Be careful out there!

Sincerely,

Jeff Martin, Mayor of Chetek