Sidewalk snapshots
I was out enjoying the weather on my bicycle the other day and came across some specimens of unfinished sidewalk business here in Oshkosh. For those of you who continue to believe that low-traffic, low-density River Mill Road needs to be the next priority for sidewalk construction and that the targeting of River Mill is based only on objective considerations, here are some points of reference. The top picture is the Lakeside Harbour Marina over on Campbell.
This next one is farther south on Campbell.
If you go north and head up Bauman, you can find more examples of missing sidewalks.
This is another marina without a sidewalk.
These are some relatively new houses on Bauman. If memory serves, there had to be a special act by the Common Council to allow these structures to go up since I think they needed some of the city right-of-way. But apparently the Council didn't see a need for sidewalks.
Here is place where the Council should really be upset. I mean the nerve of the property owner to ignore the sidewalk ordinance! The property owner: City of Oshkosh. (That's who owns the park on the left.)
In case you aren't familiar with this part of the city, here's a map.
posted by Miles Maguire at 6:51 AM
17 Comments:
Miles,
Your a silly man.
You show pictures of virtually empty streets and try to make a point that those streets need walks before River Mill gets them...because River Mill has "low-traffic, low-density".
The pictures you show certainly don't appear to have any different traffic activity than your neighborhood does!
With each video or picture you submit, you continue to actually weaken your case Miles. Maybe debate isn't your strong suit?
Miles, accept that you need and should have sidewalks like your neighbor John DelAntonio (sp?) did. City neighborhoods should have walks. Now is the time for you to get them, maybe next year some of the other areas will get theirs.
And if you want walks faster, keep taking those pictures and videos because they only go to support how silly your reasoning is.
Thanks for showing the hypocrisy and doubletalk involved here Miles. We'll see how quickly these public servants concerned about public safety bring forward more resolutions to order in sidewalks for all these other areas or what kind of excuse they have for not doing so. Whatever they do they're screwed. If they don't order in these sidewalks they'll prove themselves to be hypocrites. If they do order them in they'll be very unpopular with a lot of homeowners. Good job guys.
It is 8:45 AM who is the silly one. The pictures weren't meant to show traffic, rather the fact that there are other areas that don't have sdewalks either and yet Paul "Mr. Public Safety" himself hasn't brought forward anything for these areas. the pictures show the hypocrisy at work. Thank you Miles.
uh, duh,Anonymous 8:45. The cpation under each photo talks about missing sidewalks. They say nothing about traffic. Maybe reading and comprehension aren't your strong suits.
River Mill Miles,
If I were you, I'd contact the City Manager and ask that walks be installed in these areas also, maybe next year those areas can be on the priority list.
Thanks for your concern! You seem to be a person who now seems to want all areas of the city to have sidewalks. I agree! I to want all city areas to have walks.
It will be excellent to walk in the River Mill area on some nice safe sidewalks, then continue on the way through the nature trail.
If you find any other areas that need walks, please feel free to keep us informed and we will continue to add them to the list. However right now it appears that the River Mill area is the lucky area to get walks installed. I hope you convince the rest of your neighbors to join you and your River Mill neighbor John D. and support installing walks!
Thanks for your concern for pedestrian safety in all of Oshkosh!
DO any of the streets you pictured connect to a walking trail? I didn't think so.
It doesn't matter if they connect to a walking trail or not. If one is truly concerned about public safety - and wasn't that the alleged reason for the big push - then one will install sidewalks where the most people walk. One will also not fast track walks as is being done here. It's political retaliation. Esslinger can't fool us.
This street needed to be placed near the top of the list because of its realation to the walking trail. Common sense tells you that area will have more bike and walking traffic than the streets you showed. 5 of the 7 council members agree with that assessment.
Really? It's always been in close proximity to the walking trail and yet the city did not have it fast-tracked. Surely you can come up with something better than that, can't you?
Miles,
I noted that in one of the post previous to this one that you filmed an area of Murdock that did not have sidewalks. I wanted to let you know that it is currently in the Capital Improvement budget for 2007 to put in sidewalks on Murdock between Bowen and Harrison.
Is that where you were filming? or was it farther west?
Those that don't want to see why sidewalks are needed in River Mill are simply pinheads.
The need is clear, the facts have been pointed out time and again. Some people are simply not willing to accept the facts, they live in their own little pinhead worlds.
The fact is Esslinger fast tracked something that was already planned and he can't explain why. Safety issues my butt. He's a liar. Politics. Politics. Politics.
8:08 - If your butt requires safety issues, thats entirely your affair.
You indicate Mr. Esslinger is a liar. Please support your accusation with documented facts, or keep your pie-hole shut!
Your childish commentary aside, the documented fact is Paul Esslinger has fast tracked the sidewalks in the name of public safety when there are other areas where safety is a greater issue. In other words he has intentionally misled the public about why River Mill has been speeded up and at the same time has ignored other areas much less safe. As far as some of us are concerned, that makes him a liar, albeit a typical politician.
10:10,
Your I hate Paul rantings are certainly a sign you are a member of the conspiracy crowd.
As I recall, 5 council members voted in favor of placing walks in River Mill. Each of those 5 council members voted based on their own information and no one held a gun to anyones head.
If you continue to need to feed you conspiracy appetite, you may want to watch the Loose Change internet video. I'm told that's where all the conspiracy pinheads go to get their conspiracy theory fix.
We need to focus on loose cannons on our city council, not loose change. But thanks for the invite to see a free flick anyway. With today's economy, your thoughtfulness is appreciated.
Here's a response to those who continue to claim councilman Paul Esslinger was only doing his job when it came to the River Mill sidewalk matter...
The issue they choose to ignore is it WAS and IS an abuse of power.
There is no love lost between councilman Esslinger and former councilman/mayor Jon Dell'Antonia who happens to live in this neighborhood. It's common knowledge that the fact there were no sidewalks there has been a sore spot for Esslinger for years. When he reaized he had enough votes on the council to get it passed (or at least a good chance to do so) he brought forward a resolution ordering in sidewalks in a single neighborhood and then had the audacity to say it was in the name of safety.
If his safety argument is to be believed then one would have to belive that there were no other streets in Oshkosh that needed sidewalks, particularly where people do, in fact, walk. We all know that is not the case. If it were a matter of eliminating disparity, as you call it, he would also have done his homework and brought forward a resolution to order in sidewalks on all other streets where sections of sidewalk or walks in their entirety are missing. We all know that didn't happen either.
Mr. Maguire has published numerous photos of places in Oshkosh where sidewalks are missing, where pedestrians walk and where vehicular traffic is greater than River Mill Road. And here's one more: how many years will the city or Schwab Properties allow the section of sidewalk to be out on Jackson Street just before the bridge heading south? People walk there too and when they get to that section either have to walk on Jackson Street (not a smart thing at all) or in the grass, which has ruts in it and someone could easily fall and break an ankle or worse. Additionally it looks stupid and shabby to have the Sidewalk Closed signs sitting there as they have been for years. And with all the recent focus on that area (Five Rivers, Akcess, the Marathon building purchase, the chamber building purchase discussion) you can't tell me Esslinger (or one of the other councilors) has not seen the signs, seen the problem, seen the traffic, and said "We really ought to do something about this."
Let's get moving on this Esslinger!! Since you're so hot for taking care of things that have languished for years, how about bringing forward another resolution to order in sidewalks there, Mr. Safety and Fixer of Inequities??
If the River Mill sidewalk issue was really about safety or repairing inequities Esslinger needed to do a better job of things. He failed...and miserably. People who know the truth and have all the facts about this situation totally believe Esslinger is full of it and (ab)used his power to get these sidewalks installed. They also believe there would have been nowhere near the uproar about them if he had been more fair and equitable in his approach. He wasn't and it's one more strike against him with many who used to support him.
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