Ohio cul-de-sac homeowners go to war against city that plans to install common feature on their street

The residents of an Ohio cul-de-sac town are in action as the town plans to build a community road outside their homes.

As part of roadworks, the city of Toledo plans to install sidewalks along cul-de-sacs and residential streets to improve safety and accessibility.

But not all residents are happy with the idea. They say it will be expensive to build and maintain, will harm trees and plants and is unnecessary.

Mark Gensler, who lives on a cul-de-sac told The Toledo Blade: ‘It just seems like a waste of money and resources. They don’t think about the elderly who have to go out and shovel snow to maintain the sidewalk.”

Residents expressed their concerns to the City Council, which is now considering removing the sidewalk requirement from the ordinance.

But not all residents support the plan. Barbara Grzeszczak, a Point Place resident, told ABC13, “And for our little cul-de-sac, I’m here to not have any sidewalks built.”

The city plans to build the sidewalks under a 2010 ordinance called the Complete Streets Policy, which requires sidewalks to be part of any road improvement project.

The proposal is welcomed by many residents who say it will improve accessibility.

Valerie Fatica, disability services manager for the city of Toledo, said, “Many of our residents were angry about the installation of the new water meters in their homes.

“However, the city did not allow opt-outs because, like the sidewalk network, it works best when the system is complete.”

But others say the sidewalks are unnecessary and will cause more trouble than they’re worth.

Barbara Grzeszczak, a resident of Point Place for 40 years, told ABC13, “And for our little cul-de-sac, I’m here to not have sidewalks built.

‘I have a sprinkler system. I live on the corner and have quite a few sprinkler heads that all need to be dug out and moved, which my sprinkler guy says will be quite expensive.”

The council is considering adopting an amendment to exclude cul-de-sacs and cul-de-sacs from the sidewalk requirement. They have until July to make their decision.

The anti-sidewalk contingent wants to be able to opt out of the policy, saying they see few pedestrians on their streets and don’t want the hassle of maintaining it.

The council is considering adopting an amendment to exclude cul-de-sacs and cul-de-sacs from the sidewalk requirement.

They have until July to make their decision.

A cul-de-sac resident, Debra Hulles, told The Toledo Blade, “We’re not trying to be politically incorrect about people with disabilities. We just want a new street without sidewalks. It is a small dead end street, which has been here since 1954.

‘Redesign of our street, but no sidewalks. Take that money and spend it on another city project that people want.”

A fellow resident, Lynn Morris, said, “We don’t get any foot traffic. I think it’s a waste of taxpayer money.”

She is also concerned that a tree in her yard will need to be removed to make way for the sidewalk.

She said, “I have a very mature tree that took a big hit from the tornado last year. I’m trying to revive it. But if they cut through to build a sidewalk, it gets close enough to the roots and it dies.”

Councilor Cerssandra McPherson told the newspaper that the city should take residents’ concerns into account before making any decisions.

She said: “I think communication is one of our weakest links.

‘Before we make decisions, we do not contact the citizens who will be affected by this.

“We have to do better because the citizens are the ones who are the taxpayers. They hold us accountable.

“We need to first engage the citizens who live here, hear their opinions and thoughts and sit down and have the conversations.”