To the editor,

We live with neighbors in a beautiful hillside location in Spring Valley. Others live above us on the top of the hill. Access to these neighborhoods is now threatened by actions and a long history of inactions by the Village Board. 

A couple of roads in our neighborhood are incredibly twisted, narrow and steep. A few years back, a newspaper stopped delivering to us because the driver thought that the roads were too dangerous. He called them goat paths. Village snowplows have difficulty plowing the worst parts of the roads. Indeed, they have even slipped off the roads and required extraordinary efforts to retrieve them from the hillside. Residents do not use the worst part of the roads during winter. They are way too dangerous. But now we must. 

Children are exposed to danger walking or especially on bikes as they speed down the roads. Due to the increase in traffic, we have almost hit kids and other vehicles ourselves. It is likely that our neighbors have had similar experiences.

Roads are so narrow that it is nearly impossible to pass and dangerous to meet oncoming traffic. 

Recognizing the dangers associated with the roads, the Village Board even recently considered making the roads one-way to reduce risks. 

A bridge over a deep gully is a critical part of the roads. The Village Board admits that it knew 20 or even 30 years ago that the bridge needed to be replaced. It failed to act on that knowledge. Two large trucks have recently struck the bridge and damaged it so that it has been rendered unsafe and has now been closed. Citizens and emergency vehicles must travel much greater distances to get to homes.

The majority of the Board apparently does not want to replace the bridge. Affected citizens are appalled. To shield themselves from responsibility, the Board has set a public hearing on July 21 so that people from all over the Village and elsewhere can comment on the bridge replacement. They know that non-affected residents will most likely object to the expense of replacing the bridge in these tough economic times. 

By not replacing the bridge, the Board will deliberately increase traffic on the roads they have declared unsafe and increase potential emergency response times. This will put lives and property at risk. People not familiar with the area will find it exceedingly difficult to navigate, even with GPS.

Board members and citizens should drive on these roads to view the conditions as they exist now. They are bad enough. Then repeat your visit during or after the next snow or ice storm, if you dare.

On the same agenda as the discussion of the bridge was another road project. No public hearing was scheduled for that. Repairs on other Village roads and bridges are ongoing. All without public hearings. This is unfair and unequal treatment. Yes, a few public hearings were held in the past, but those were for far larger projects on a much bigger, more complex, and more expensive scale.

The Board has made no effort to collect damages from the companies like Home Depot whose trucks have severely damaged the bridge. Rather than working to unify residents in civic pride and with a common sense of purpose and dignity, the Board by this action will likely ensure animosity and ill will among the citizens that elected them to office. 

The Board has thus failed its citizens over the years and continues to do so. Replace the bridge that has reliably and necessarily served this part of our community for more than a century. Be sure to schedule public hearings for all other road projects from now on.  We want the same opportunity to inject our thoughts on those contemplated projects, whether they directly impact us or not. 

James Hulbert

Amy Winsand

Spring Valley