Western Springs Sidewalk Backers Have A Qualm

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – For a long time, sidewalk supporters in Western Springs’ Forest Hills neighborhood have pushed for sidewalks in the entire subdivision.

On Monday, they made an exception to that proposal.

Their leaders, Rod Frazier and Amy Tilles, advised against seeking state money for a sidewalk on the south side of 54th street. Doing so, they said, would take down too many trees and go within feet of some houses.

Three residents on the south side of 54th Street expressed their concerns as well. The street is made up of many corner lots.

Last month, Frazier and Tilles proposed the village seek a Safe Routes to School grant from the state to pay for sidewalks on the east side of Grand and Woodland avenues.

Village officials looked into pursuing a grant, which is capped at $250,000. They recommended that the village seek money for the east side of Grand and the north side of 54th. Somehow, residents were under the impression that the village was proposing a sidewalk on the south side of 54th.

Explaining the recommendation, Matthew Supert, the village’s municipal services director, said the village chose 54th Street because it would mean every child in the neighborhood would be within one block of fully completed sidewalks. The subdivision is a patchwork of homes with sidewalks and those without.

Including 54th Street, Supert said, would maximize the village’s chances in getting the state money. The grant process is “extremely competitive,” with many communities vying for as few as 44 grants.

Trustee James John said he could see why people were concerned with the sidewalk being close to homes on 54th. He said his family lived on the north side of 54th for more than two months earlier this year when their house was being worked on.

“It was really close,” John said. “My daughter had a bedroom 20 feet away from the sidewalk, which is pretty darn close. You could easily see in there."

Trustee Nicole Chen had a different view.

“I live on a corner lot,” she said. “I have a sidewalk, I don’t know, 10 feet from the living room. That’s kind of the deal living on a corner."

The village staff’s recommendation was more expensive than the residents’ proposal, with one trustee estimating it would mean $200,000 in out-of-pocket costs for the village. The residents’ recommendation would be $120,000 out of pocket.

Those costs were considered too much for some trustees. Village President Alice Gallagher proposed the village seek money for just the east side of Grand, which would amount to about $200,000, considerably less than the $250,000 maximum grant. The village must come up with 20 percent match.

The village trustees split, with three voting for doing Grand only and three for the staff’s proposal. Gallagher broke the tie for Grand.

The board’s agenda indicated it would give direction to staff on its preferences. The agenda, however, did not indicate a vote would be taken, as the Open Meetings Act generally requires.

The deadline for grant applications is Sept. 30.