Madison Park

Don't forget tonight is the Murrayhill Public meeting on sidewalks.  If you like sidewalks and wish to see this walk built and would like to see more in the area attend this meeting.  If you live on Murrayhilland have concerns about the walk attend this meeting to let CDOT hear them.

This meeting is to gather input on the project.   Anyone can attend this meeting.

Don't miss your opportunity to be heard.  Sidewalks are limited in Madison Park.  Lack of walks lowers our Neighborhood Statistical Analysis score. 

Meeting begins at 6:30 PM and runs until 8:00 PM.  Wedgewood Baptist Church Annex building. 

CDOT has decided to stay in the public right a way with this project.  This means it will not exceed 11 feet from the curb.  Originally plans were for the walkway to have an 8 foot planting strip and 5 feet of sidewalk.  The plan now is for the planting strip to be more flexible where needed along the route. 

Once the side of the street is chosen CDOT will work with each homeowner to try and build a walkway that accommodates your special needs such as trees and so forth. 

Based on what CDOT said this evening you can expect to see a walk similar to what you see on Seneca Place that goes toward the curb and comes off the curb at places.  This refers to the most recent sidewalk built a few years ago along Seneca Place. 

We will provide more information as we get updates on the project from CDOT.

The walkway will not be completed for about 3 years.  There is a long process once the side of the street is chosen to reach the actual construction phase.  

You must have been at a different meeting than I was, Marty.  In the meeting that I attended, the only thing that I witnessed was three or four city representatives who did not answer any questions in this "Q&A" session.  Perhaps you already left at this point, as your post was made 30 minutes into the meeting, but when it was directly asked if any retaining walls, etc. would be restricted to the public right of way, the city rep said that they could not assure that.  They also said, contrary to all of the "meandering" sidewalk chatter, that they prefer to keep the sidewalk in a straight line.  In my humble opinion, last night was useless, and the big proponents of the sidewalk in attendance didn't even live on Murrayhill.  The city said that they would work with residents to go around trees and cater to the landscape, but that they would not consider having the sidewalk run along the road for any stretch in order to preserve trees.  I would very much like to thank the "neighborhood association" for representing the residents of Murrayhill in requesting / demanding this sidewalk.

Perhaps the association should stick to planning the National Night Out for both people planning to attend.

This web site post from a different time zone not Eastern time. 

I am pretty certain Ms. Coleman with CDOT said toward the end of the meeting that if there was a stretch of trees they would run the walk behind the trees, or in front of the trees even up to the back of the  curb to save the trees.  They even said once the side of the street is chosen they will involve the city arborist in advising the best method to save each tree.   She did say they would not just run the walkway along the curb of the street.  She said they intend to build a planting strip where possible.

The important thing I took from the meeting was that CDOT is willing to be flexible with the width of the planting strip now.  They are not planning a project now that exceeds the 11 foot city right a way for the most part.   The project as you know did call for an 8 foot planting strip and 5 foot sidewalk.   I have learned Londonderry Road, (my street),  is scheduled in the future for a sidewalk and agree that 13 feet back from the curb for the inside edge is excessive, especially since it exceeds the city right a way in most cases.   It also puts the walk uncomfortably close to my front door, which I think was a concern in another posting you had on the walks on this site with your home.   I did encourage CDOT to stay in the right a way with the project.  I was pleased to hear they were going to attempt to do this now.  

I would hope the retaining walls need will be limited.  I personally don't think these walls look all that great.  I am pretty sure I heard CDOT say last night they could work with residents on materials and colors.    Good example of these walls is down on Archdale for anyone not sure what they possibly will look like.   I did not make any comments on retaining walls in my post, but appreciate the extra info you provided about CDOT not being able to assure they will be built only in right a way.   I am sure those possibly effective would like to know this information.  I missed that question somehow last night. 

As far as the HOA requesting the sidewalk we absolutely did not.  We did not request it in 2004 or 2008.  I think the speakers said the first request dated back to 1999 and had been in the system since that date.  I even heard at one time it was a blind residents that use to live on Murrayhill that made the request years ago.   Once the plan was shown at our HOA meeting in Feb. 08 we supported the sidewalks.  In part because the NSA Neighborhood Statistical Analysis, that one of the attendees mentioned in his comments last night measures pedestrian friendliness, and we are ranked low in both our study areas 196 and 197.  The study looks at many different factors.  Sidewalks are just one factor.   The only way for that to improve is for sidewalks to be built.  There are people walking all over our community.  Some for exercise, some to save gas, to reach schools park and recreation areas,  and some as a mode of transportation.   I personally had much rather walk on a sidewalk than in the street.  I walk nearly every day and  have been nearly hit more than once by drivers speeding, or just being being careless.   We do have a lot of speeding drivers and have encouraged Westover Police and Officer Stank the traffic coordinator officer from Westover to try and help wtih this problem.  We have also added speed limit signs, lowered speed limits, and added all stops with the support of residents through petitions.

I have heard from some people that want the sidewalks. I have also heard from very few directly that did not want the sidewalks.  I have told everyone that contacted me both for and against these sidewalks that this public meeting would be coming up, and it would be their chance to state their preferences.   This was the information given to me and the HOA by CDOT.   We represent the entire area not any one street.   CDOT told me they mailed out over 2000 post cards to last nights meeting.  Most of our board members were present, but I don't think any of them made any public comments during the meeting.   Since CDOT made the initial presentation in Feb. 08 at our HOA meeting we have had over 21,000 hits on our web site home page.  Hundreds of residents read the online minutes from our monthly meetings.  We also email hundreds of copies of minutes out after our meetings to residents that have provided their emails to us. 

 National Night Out is already well planned.   This one event take 100's of volunteer hours and countless hours of planning.  The HOA and I personally work on many different issues and request every single day from our residents.   Some of these request and concerns in the past have even come from some of the residents in the two blocks that don't desire the sidewalks.

I believe  I heard again last night there were 15 people in the last two blocks that did not desire sidewalks on their blocks.  I also know at the Transportation Committee Meeting that I attended a few weeks ago that that one resident that headed up the petition told the committee that she had 15 people against the walks at that time on those last two blocks.    I believe there are 29 houses in those last 2 blocks of Murrayhill.  I assume some of the residents that did not sign against the sidewalks on this petition against the walks perhaps desires the sidewalks in those blocks.   

Some topics and issues are not going to please all people no matter what  the topic or subject is.

This is obviously one of them, but please don't blame the HOA for bringing up the sidewalks, since this is simply not the case.   It was news to me when I learned of the plans in Jan. 08.

Thanks for using the discussion pages that is what they are for!