Sidewalk Construction Question...
I received a question from a reader concerning recent sidewalk construction that you may have observed. He was asking about the new sidewalk on the east side of Pilgrim Road south of Mequon Road, and about the walking path along Division Road on the south end of the village.
His questions, specifically, were:
Are the owners receiving assessments to fund this? Did they (the owners) get any input on this decision? Does it make sense to install sidewalks when streets need work?
I asked Daniel Naze, Village Engineer, about these projects and he explained them as follows:
"The Division Road pathway is being installed and paid for by Harmony Homes, developer of the adjacent Meadow Creek Crossing Subdivision. This is something that was in the original developer agreement and I have been after them to complete since I became Village Engineer during 2004."
"The Pilgrim Road sidewalk is being constructed as directed by elected officials. There is one property that had signed a letter at the time of their site plan approval in 1997, indicating they would pay for sidewalk for their frontage when installed or directed by the Village. That property is Pilgrim Plaza. The remainder is paid for from budgeted funds."
I have sent an email to Dave Schornack, Village Administrator, seeking more information on the "as directed by elected officials" segment of the response. He is away from his office until next week, so we can anticipate a response soon after his return.
My thanks to Mr. Naze for his prompt response.
Walking Quorum...
There are rules concerning the number of trustees that may meet outside duly called meetings. This is designed to preclude gatherings of a sufficient number of trustees so as to push or thwart various motions, and to assure open government for the citizens.
I have learned that a meeting of three trustees was observed at the Mequon Road McDonald's this morning. The three would be sufficient to thwart actions of several committees if they were of a mind to engage in such activities. In some instances, a meeting of two trustees could also present the same problem. This is referred to as a"walking quorum" as I understand the jargon and is not permitted.
Since I didn't observe the people involved personally, I'll refrain from naming them. My information comes, however, from a very reliable source.
This issue has been an on again-off again issue in Germantown and trustees have been warned of the nature of the rules governing their coming together.
Bridge Construction...
My eyes tell me that the two bridges now being rebuilt (Lilac Lane and Freistadt Road) that were scheduled for completion by the first week in October are ahead of schedule.
It appears that final clean-up is underway. Concrete has been laid and new blacktop approaches seem to be in place. I couldn't tell if markings had been applied but I would doubt that has occurred yet given the crush of equipment still scattered about both sites.
