Minutes-10/11/1988

Gertrude Janssen: It's more essential up by the school. Mayor Potter: The city bought the lot and paid for the street that goes into the school and the city maintains it. I'd hate to see the city pay for a sidewalk without any participation from the school. We bought a 60 by 140 foot lot so we could install the street. Linda Herring: Does the city have the option of making that street one way? Mayor Potter: Yes. Tim Spivey: If it's one way out the traffic would have to go by the Lark on their way to school. Linda Herring: It should be a one way street. We need more law enforcement to curb the way the people drive. Tim Spivey: That would eliminate a lot of traffic on College Street. Carrie Stratton: Bob Steele says the school doesn't have any money. Rick Janssen: It's too much money for the people. Ted Spivey: There's more of a problem for the kids crossing the parking lot than there is getting to school. Leland Campbell: I know you've looked at putting a sidewalk by my place before. There's quite a drop off there. My lot line runs right up to the street almost. Would you come through my lot? Paul Slaymaker: If you don't put in sidewalks, what happens if a kid gets hit going to and from school? Can an individual turn back on the city? Ted Spivey: There's a walkway marked on the side of the road there. Paul Slaymaker: What about this end of town? They have to walk down the side of the street if there's no sidewalk. Greenleaf: I have not researched this matter. My instinct would say that the city would not be exposed to any liability. There is no legal duty upon the city to have sidewalks for the protection of children. There's no legal precedent. It is not in the State Code. Tim Spivey: Maybe the school could get the drivers to use the highway entrance and keep the cars until after the kids leave. We have sidewalks on Grant Street. Dick Gent: It doesn't make any difference to me, but I was in North Liberty today and they just put in thousands of dollars worth of sidewalks, and I saw 20 kids walking down the street there.