Councilman Frank Ferry reiterated a strict credo at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, to the delight of several audience members.
“We should not close our public roads.” Ferry said this in response to the Sunset Heights Homeowners Association’s desire to privatize their streets. If passed, the Association could add a second gate to their community.
But as residents stepped forward expressing dissatisfaction with delayed emergency response and gate location, Ferry sensed impending trouble.
“I’m seeing a very ugly process over a four-year period,” he said.
The Council elected to deny the introduction of the Memorandum of Understanding. An MOU is required before approval of a Conditional Use Permit, which sets the construction process in motion. In saying that, Ferry was actually making reference to the Benz Road issue, discussed earlier in the night. For years, residents have tried to have the city sponsor traffic-calming efforts in the neighborhood. Over the duration of the pilot program, residents have expressed both positive and negative experiences with the implemented speed bumps and turn restrictions.
In the end, Council decided to keep the speed bumps, remove the turn restrictions and not hold the residents liable for the cost.