Nobody is sure why the developer of the Brigadoon subdivision near downtown Cary did not put sidewalks on South Seebert and Prairie Streets when homes were built there 40 years ago.
What is certain is that children walking to school, commuters walking to the train station and elderly people walking to the community center must all do so in the street–and residents say that is particularly treacherous in the ice and slush of winter.
In a petition reviewed recently by the Village Board’s Public Works Committee, more than two dozen Brigadoon residents asked the village to address the situation. They want sidewalks installed on Seebert and one side of Prairie.
Village Manager Larry Asaro said that although the village maintains sidewalks, it is a developer’s responsibility to build them. He added that Brigadoon’s developer met the village’s subdivision requirements that were in force at the time.
Asaro said he is exploring two options that could help residents finance sidewalk construction, which Streets Supt. Gary Stauffer told village commissioners could cost more than $100,000.
One option would be a special assessment. That would involve a lengthy legal process to establish a separate taxing district for the properties that would benefit most from the improvement.
The installation work would then be paid for through a voucher system, and residents would repay the village the amount, plus interest, through their tax bills over the course of 10 to 15 years.
Another option is for the village to pass an ordinance to create a special service district, with at least 50 percent of the affected residents’ approval. After the work is done, residents’ homes would be assessed and taxed at a higher level.
Florence Polyack, who has lived on Seebert for 40 years, said she isn’t anxious to pay more taxes to have the sidewalks built, but she signed the petition anyway.
“I don’t like to see the school kids walking in the middle of the street,” she said. “It just makes my blood run cold.”
