CCP 10-25-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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. . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OCTOBER 12,2004 5 traffic, more congestion, as well as more recreational traffic into a dangerous location. She noted they have had to replace their mailbox and to get thc post in the ground with sidewalk around it would not be easy. She also noted snow would be piled up along the sidewalk during the winter which posed a hazard. Mayor Aplikowski asked if the neighborhood had spoken with other residents in the area to see if they would agree to the resident's proposal. Ms. Hass, 1420 West County Road E, stated they had spoken with the neighborhood and she believed they were in agreement with the letter Ms. Kern read. She also noted if this was a sidewalk, she understood that it could not be used by bikers, only pedestrians. She stated she was for the bridge, preferably the more expensive bridge, but recommended the Council consider the resident's proposal for a redirected sidewalk. She asked the Council to consider this project as two different projects. She asked the Council to vote for the bridge and against the sidewalk. Mayor Aplikowski stated she believed the residents that were west of this area would not be in agreement with the West County Road E resident's proposal. Mary Rains, 3521 Ridgewood Court, believed the primary responsibility of the Council was the safety issues. She stated the idea of looking at this as a path solely from park to park was not speaking to the uses that the residents had. She stated she liked to walk and she did not need a direction in which to go, but she wanted safety. She noted walking along the road was not safe. She stated safety needed to be a primary vision of the City and recognizing that the City had walkers, riders, bikers, etc. who used the streets for other uses than park connection. She indicated she understood the residents concerns, but their concerns did not balance the residents in the City as a whole. Mayor Aplikowski asked Ms. Rains on which side of the street did she walk. Ms. Rains stated she walked against the traffic, but if there were a sidewalk, she would utilize the sidewalk. Leon Hass, 1420 West County Road E, stated there was not really much pedestrian traffic along County Road E and if safety was really a concem, why didn't the residents walk one block away. Ms. Rains replied she was concerned about the safety of all of the residents in the City and she did not believe they needed to justify the volume of pedestrians on County Road E. Roger William, 3450 Seims Court, stated safety was the issue and he believed it was the Council's job to ensure the residents' safety. He stated he had been on a previous city council in another city and every time there was a sidewalk being put in, there was opposition to it. He stated it was the Council's job to go with the majority of what the residents wanted. He stated if there were a sidewalk put in, it would be used because there was a safe place for the residents to walk. He stated he was in favor of the bridge and sidewalk. He believed the sidewalk would link the residents on the west side to the shopping center. He asked the Council measure and weigh their decisions and asked them to serve the most residents. He stated only nine homes would be