LETTER: St. Louis Park’s Connect the Park plan would overreach
To the Editor:
I am writing to raise the awareness of the “Connect the Park” sidewalk program.
While I am in favor of improving the areas of our community that are critical to making our community a better place to live, it seems that the “Connect the Park” project might be a little bit of a stretch. One area of overreach is the dramatic increase in sidewalks. The plan is for a new sidewalk along 39th from France to Natchez. Here are some specific concerns:
• In 22 years of living on 39th, I am not aware of one situation where traffic from a vehicle and a pedestrian was an issue.
• We have properties in the neighborhood that are absolutely gorgeous. This is because the homeowners have invested time and money to make their property beautiful. How much of that landscaping will be removed to make room for the sidewalks?
• There is a maintenance issue. Removing more snow in the winter is an additional burden.
• Frankly the cost of the “Connect the Park” program is staggering. The $18-$25 million estimate for the program is a huge project for a city this size. If we have 15,000 taxpayers in town, the average taxpayer would pay $1,433.
Our taxes have been growing faster than gross domestic product. This program continues with that unsustainable trend. This is a program that needs further evaluation. If you have questions contact the city.
Steve May
St. Louis Park
