Where the sidewalk dilemma ends

IT WAS BEN FRANKLIN who said the only things that are certain in life is death and taxes.

If Poor Richard were living in Plymouth these days, he’d probably add debates over sidewalks to that list of certainties.

The latest subdivision to ride the sidewalk-go-round is the East Towne Estates subdivision on the city’s east side.

Development began in the subdivision a decade or more ago, but it has been plagued by various infrastructure delays over the ensuing years that have brought unhappy residents before the City Council numerous times.

The latest issue was the city’s move to require the developer to install sidewalks. The problem is that many of the houses were built, and driveways installed, with a true polyglot of dimensions and grades, meaning sidewalk installation throughout the subdivision could be a true Rube Goldberg contraption without proper planning and engineering.

Citing provisions of the city’s long-standing — and outdated — sidewalk ordinance, the residents of East Towne Estates are seeking an exemption from the sidewalk requirements.

Like so many things in everyday life, there are positives and negatives about sidewalks, both for property owners and the community as a whole. But the positives far outweigh the negatives and the city is right to require sidewalks throughout the city — a requirement that the city should adhere to on its own properties as soon as feasible, it should be noted.

Even in semi-isolated residential subdivisions, sidewalks should be available so that children do not have to walk in the street to get to school, parks and friend’s or neighbor’s homes. All it takes is one tragic accident involving a child walking in the street to prove that point — and it should never get that far.

With subdivisions that have been established and are still in the process of being filled, the sidewalk dilemma is not going to be an easy one to resolve, as the ongoing East Towne Estates saga shows.

But it doesn’t have to be that way in the future.

The easy solution is to follow Alderman Ronald Lade’s suggestion and require that, as part of the developer’s agreement, sidewalks in all future subdivisions be installed up front throughout the development, at the same time as streets and curb and gutter.

It would require a little care to prevent damage during construction of new homes on individual lots — or a little bit of repair once the house is up. But it would make clear, once and for all, that sidewalks are part of owning a home in Plymouth, that we as a community care about the safety of pedestrians, and would prevent future misunderstandings, arguments and hard feelings over sidewalk installation.

Then, all that would be left would be to solve the sticky issues of death and taxes — the easy stuff.

At issue: Something or other Bottom line: Do something about it