Don't Put Sidewalks In Elmhurst Neighborhood: Resident

ELMHURST, IL – A northside Elmhurst resident asked the city not to install sidewalks in his neighborhood.

Unlike the rest of town, much of north Elmhurst is without sidewalks. Residents there are divided on the issue.

At Monday's City Council meeting, resident Mike Kosinski, who lives on Fullerton Avenue, said he saw "absolutely" no reason for sidewalks. He said it made little sense to install sidewalks six decades after the neighborhood was built.

He warned the sidewalks would be "zigzagging" along the streets because some yards have obstructions and others don't.

In some cases, Kosinski said, people won't be able to fit cars in their driveways with the new sidewalks.

"As I look around at all your addresses," he said, referring to aldermen, "nobody lives in this neighborhood actually. So nobody even has a dog in this fight. So I am assuming that you really don't care that much because none of you are affected by it."

He urged aldermen to drive around the neighborhood and make an assessment.

Mayor Scott Levin thanked Kosinski for the comments, but no city officials responded.

At a city committee meeting in October, a number of pro-sidewalk parents on the north side said they feared for the safety of their children walking to school. Others took the opposite position.