Ladue Residents Turn In Petitions for Sidewalks in the City

Citizens in Ladue want sidewalks and a more sustainable walkable community. They want to connect neighborhoods with parks, schools and the business district.

Folks who live on Godwin Lane went on a petition drive which started November 6 and ended a shortime later on November 20.

Each of the Ladue Council Members was handed a bound binder with the same 673 signatures for their review.

Beth Deutsch, who lives at 39 Godwin Lane made a case for her neighbors. “We think Ladue is a great place to live and there are studies which show that communities with extensive network of sidewalks have higher property values.”

Deutsch said the campaign points out three things for Ladue. “Sidewalks give people a better quality of life; more safety and increases their property value.”

She ran across residents on Dromera Lane who made the same appeal to the city council 20 years ago. “Many people have to walk in the streets and near traffic where sidewalks don’t exist,” she pointed out.

At the same meeting, the council was approving a $19,000 contract with the engineering firm Horner & Shifrin to evaluate sidewalk infrastructure and offer a plan to the city. This study takes in account streets like Warson Road, north and south Price Road, Dielman Road, parts of Conway but not including Old Warson Road, North Woodlawn or hardly any of Litzsinger Road.

Council members, quickly became negotiating business agents upped the contract on the spot to at least $23,000 to add more streets to the study.

There was push back. John Gould, who used to live on Godwin Lane and now resides at 29 Waverton Lane disagreed to a point. “Folks bought homes here many years ago, realizing there were no sidewalks and now they act surprised.” Gould predicted this would wind up a vote of the citizens, figuring a bond issue for some 3,300 homeowners would be in the range of $50 million.

After much discussion about spending government grants which no longer exist, Mayor Anthony Bommarito reminded everyone that indeed, it would take a bond issue vote to add extensively to the network of city sidewalks.

Councilman John Fox listened to the arguments and drew his own conclusions. “We’ve just approved a bill to pay a consulting firm $23,000 to $25,000 to tell us this project cannot be done.”

The vote to approve the contract with Horner & Shifrin passed 4-1; Fox was the lone dissenter.

In other business, the city passed an ordinance calling for an election to be held in the City of Ladue on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 to elect three council members.

The council approved the appointment of Ed Boyce, Jr., 30 Fordyce Lane to the Public Works Committee.