By Bonnie Culverhouse
Some Minden residents have a only one way to get from Point A to Point B … walking. And many local sidewalks around the city need help.
Mayor Nick Cox said laws around sidewalk improvement are something he believes can be worked around.
“A lot of our people walk, and a lot of people rely on our sidewalks,” Cox said. “That’s one thing I feel like we need to focus on more as a city.”
The sidewalk ordinance states that sidewalks belong to the property owner. (SEC. 78-3 of Minden’s municipal codes, adopted 1987.)
Under the current ordinance, it is unlawful for the city to fix sidewalks that run in front of private property.
“If we have a safety issue within the city, it’s hard to put that on the property owner,” Cox continued. “I’ve walked the city of Minden, and I was shocked at how hard it is to navigate the sidewalks. There are places where you are walking and the sidewalk just stops. Then there are places where you think about pushing a stroller or having some kind of handicap accessibility, and there are stairs.”
The mayor is asking council members to study the ordinance language and adding the ability for the city to improve sidewalks “at least to a minimum, where we feel like if it’s a safety issue, we can go in there and fix it.”
Cox said funding for sidewalks is a competitive process.
“We’ve tried to get money to help with sidewalks, but it’s almost impossible,” he said.
Cox said he is not proposing the city maintain the sidewalks, “but we can do some things to make our city better for every body,” by possibly adding ramps and slopes.”
