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<br />II. J.J...IVJ. '-.U
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<br />~s . SERVING NORTH SUBURBAN COMMUNITIE$
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<br />SPOTLIGHT: ARDEN HILLS' INGERSON NEIGHBORHOOD
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<br />CMIIISPGLI'DOROFFjPIONl:EIlP-<tts.s
<br />Hills resldenteMerle 91.. left, All BIgp, Jollll SChmidt, UndI Swan80fl and Dale Lutz i1rt! among the nellhboni along Ingerson Road w1'Io oppose a plM to wtden the road
<br />d ptten and stonn_rs. They say It will de8tfoy the runaI eIlalactln of tf1e nelgbborhood, Increaee trefftc and CO:Iit lIacI1 resklent an .".rage $8,000 In apeumenta.
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<br />oad
<br />
<br />Blocks
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<br />City officials say the
<br />streets in the
<br />Ingerson neighborhood
<br />are in bad shape and
<br />need revamping, The
<br />city is willing to spend
<br />$2,2 million on the pro-
<br />ject, which would widen
<br />some streets and add
<br />curbs and gutters. But
<br />some residents oppose
<br />the plan, saying they like
<br />_rural/eel' of their
<br />
<br />A neighborhood in Ardetl
<br />Hills that bas wbat offi.
<br />cials consider some of
<br />tbe oldest and worat
<br />streetcondiUonsmtbecitylsthe
<br />focos of road recOPstructlon and
<br />redesigDthis'Yf!M.
<br />But residents are saying "no
<br />tbanb" tG !be prop:lIl8ls that would
<br />aller Ingersoo Raad,BamllDe.Avenue
<br />Nortllandsurroundlngstreets.
<br />The city is considering wideninll
<br />the roads to the city's 3z..foot-wtde
<br />street standard and Bv NANcY
<br />addlng curbs and gut.
<br />ters.1t is also consid-- NGo
<br />ering abandonlD.8 a
<br />portion of'North Ham- ~~R
<br />line AVeD1Ie, between
<br />Ingerson Road and
<br />ruler Lane. Officials have said the
<br />road is uudenlsed, and poor soB COD-
<br />ditioDs make recoDstruction and
<br />repan expeosive.
<br />Arore group of residents opposing
<br />the project organized more than 80
<br />residents to pack the City Counell
<br />chambers last week. Residents said
<br />they wll1ltedIOOJ'etimetosttldy the
<br />issue and cited traffic,speed, safety
<br />and eoviromnental ooncems.
<br />Linda SWllD8llD, who led in ptber-
<br />. resldeots from the neigbborbood,
<br />:fd she wants to see the unique feel
<br />
<br />
<br />of the neighborhood preserved. "J
<br />doIl't think a eommunity should be
<br />only one design. We like the small
<br />roads. It's the aesthetic value," she
<br />....,
<br />"We don't want change. We moved
<br />here because we liked the rural feel
<br />of our neigbborhood," said Yvonne
<br />Wilken, who lives 00 Ingerson Road.
<br />If the roads changed to meet the
<br />standard 32-foot width, it would also
<br />mean narrowillJl the widtb of Caritoo
<br />Drive, Cannon Avenue, Fernwood
<br />Road, Fernwood Court and .IDgersoP
<br />"'""-
<br />The City Council postponed a deci-
<br />moo on the proposal and will revisit
<br />tbe issue Jan. 31. Mayor Dennis
<br />Probst said the project. Is POt a dme
<br />dNJ, and the puh1ie bearing wall aU
<br />part of the process to get Input from
<br />""......
<br />Ulbeprojectgoestllrougb,thedty
<br />wouId.setupataakforceofneigb-
<br />bors to work witb tbe engineers,
<br />Probst said. BRW, an engineeriD8
<br />firm, is handling the design, The pr0-
<br />ject is estimated to C)]St more than
<br />$2.2millioo.
<br />Probst said the council could
<br />decide, instead, to work 00 streets In
<br />a different oeigbborhood. Either way,
<br />the earliest that road COD5ttudion
<br />would begin would be early next
<br />year, not this fall as origlnaUy pro-
<br />""'"
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<br />Residents who live along Ingerson
<br />Road were most vocal In opposing
<br />...--,
<br />"If you widen my street, it will
<br />increase the traffic." said AU Biggs.
<br />Biggs, wbo bas two children, said her
<br />IIOD was nearly bit by a car last sum-
<br />","",
<br />The 28-foot-wide road. wbich bas a
<br />bill running tbroujb It. is already
<br />seenbysomeasdaogerous,witbcars
<br />speeding and IIslnj it as a cut-
<br />through from Snelling to Lexington
<br />.........
<br />Residents also said cutting out a
<br />porUoD of Hamlille Avenue North
<br />. woold add to the traffic volume on
<br />--
<br />Olbers say cballJIng tbe roads,
<br />inelodlDg the placement of curbs and
<br />........."""""""',
<br />SW8DS01l cited environmental con-
<br />cerDS with proposed storm-water
<br />retentim ponds near Josepbine Lake.
<br />"By putting ponds there, It's going
<br />to destroy a lot of mature trees III'lll
<br />plant llfe," she said.
<br />However. Probst said residents'
<br />suggestionsabootconduclingenviroo-
<br />mental reports.SIIcb asa water-qual-
<br />It, study, don't apply to such a pr0-
<br />ject. Be said tbe propOSBI was
<br />addressing the enrironmentallssue oI
<br />keeJ>InI contaminants from the wet-
<br />lands, lakes and streams.
<br />He said another option to curhs
<br />and gutters1llOl1ld be to build a ditch.
<br />However, ArdeD Hills currently does
<br />oot bave aD adequate ditch system ill
<br />place. Some City Council members
<br />have indicated they are in favor of
<br />curb& and gutters.
<br />Arden Rills' citywide street stan-
<br />dard came out of the PavemeDt
<br />Management Project about 10 years
<br />ago, meant to provide adequate lane
<br />space and parking on bolb sides.
<br />About 50 percent to 70 percent of
<br />the city's roads meet the standard.
<br />"We have made ~t1ons ill cer-
<br />tain neighborhoods where it makes
<br />sense," be said
<br />Nancy Ngo,who covers nul'th suburban
<br />communlUllS.l:;m beroachlld at """.
<br />pIonHrpreu.Gom orl651l 481.0433.
<br />
<br />AT A GLANCt:
<br />. Whld::The neign-
<br />bomood,builtinthe
<br />1960s, Is the focvs
<br />ofthecity'splllnklr
<br />rollllreoonstructiol'l
<br />this year; Morethlll'l
<br />60 reside~ came
<br />to a public hearing
<br />last week. most to
<br />opposatheproject
<br />because of traffic.
<br />speed,safetyand
<br />envlronmentalcDIr
<br />~ms.
<br />. Who: About 100
<br />Ilomeswouldbe
<br />affected.
<br />. Whent: Roads
<br />affeetedatthe
<br />south end of the city
<br />Include Cannon
<br />Avenue,Tillerlane,
<br />Ingerson Road,
<br />Ingerson Court,
<br />North Hamllne
<br />AvenueandCarllon
<br />Drive.
<br />. When: The issue
<br />will be revlslte<l at
<br />the Jan. 31 City
<br />Coundlmeeting.
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