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Residents oppose plan for sidewalk
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: May 07, 2015

A project three years in the making hit a roadblock this week as a handful of residents voiced opposition to a plan to install a sidewalk in the Valley Meadows neighborhoods in Valley Center.

Three residents who live on Goff, a major road through the subdivision, told the Valley Center City Council May 5 that the project would force the removal of mature trees, disrupt underground sprinkler systems, alter driveways and shrink the size of their front yards, costing the homeowners a lot of money.

The city plans to place a five-foot-wide sidewalk along the south side of Goff from Meridian to Fieldstone and on the north side of Goff from Fieldstone to Meadow. A sidewalk also is slated for the north side of Fieldstone from Goff to near Wheatland Elementary and on the east side of Clover.

The city is trying to purchase temporary rights-of-way to work on the properties.

Jim Gilson, who lives in the first house from Meridian on the south side of Goff, said affected residents weren't properly notified of the plans. He encouraged the city council to delay the project until the issues can be resolved.

He said none of the city council members would want the sidewalks installed on their properties.

"We don't want to be dictated to by big-city government," Gilson said.

Eva Willms, who lives down the street and runs a daycare in the 600 block of Goff, said fixing her yard after the sidewalk is installed is "not just going to be $100 or $200."

"We're for sidewalks," she said. "We're for the safety of our children. … It's the cost."

Rick Sample, who lives in the 700 block of Goff, said the plan calls for a sidewalk to run 10 feet from the side of his house. He said that was "unacceptable."

He said a petition to encourage the sidewalk plan was not valid because it did not contain addresses and wasn't sent to county officials to validate.

Warren Utecht, the city's community development director, later told the council that Goff is a "dangerous street" to walk on without sidewalks. He said the city's 2013 bike and pedestrian master plan placed as a high priority sidewalks in the Valley Meadows neighborhood.

"We felt as though we tried to make an effort to let people know" about the project, Utecht told the city council. "… We're trying to work with these neighbors."

Utecht said he planned to meet with the remaining affected property owners and to work out issues specific to the properties.

"We're not going to make everyone happy," he said.

In other business May 5, the council:

•Learned that the spring cleanup day brought in more than 35 tons of trash, down from nearly 50 tons a year ago. Residents were reminded they can dump limbs at a brush pile near the city water tower in the industrial park.

•Learned that a lawsuit filed by the owner of property on Ford (77th) that was used for outdoor concerts and live horse racing had final arguments this week and a decision is expected in late May or early June. The Marquez horse farm has been idle since the lawsuit was filed in December 2013. The city said the property owner does not have legal permission to use the property for outdoor concerts and horse racing.

•Learned that Warren Utecht, the city's community development director since June 2011, announced his retirement, effective in early June. The council praised Utecht for his work.

•Heard Dove invite anyone interested in filling the Ward 2 unexpired city council seat to contact her or City Hall by May 12.

•Set a schedule for developing the city's 2016 budget and set a budget workshop for 6 p.m. May 12.





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