Photo by Megan Smith.
0513 Mark Quenelle
Left, Roseland Drive resident and Homewood business owner Mark Quenelle stands with the Japanese Maple heplanted in his front yard. Adding sidewalks to the street could benefit the area’s many pedestrians, but could also reduce the size of resident’s yards.
Mark Quenelle planted a Japanese Maple in his front yard when he first moved to Homewood 15 years ago, wanting to add to the diminishing canopy of Roseland Drive.
“Trees provide shade and cooling,” said the Quenelle Landscape Design and Construction owner. “A lot of trees have been taken down on Roseland by people coming through and flipping houses.”
The Japanese Maple, along with other remaining trees alongside the north side of the road, are in the path of potential sidewalk construction. When Homewood City Council members Heather Reid and Jennifer Wallis informed Quenelle that placing the sidewalks in the yards was approved, he acted fast. But his trees aren’t the most important thing he stands to lose if the city decides to place a sidewalk through his front yard.
“I think the value of the homes all along this side of the road will go down,” Quenelle said.
With this thought in mind, Quenelle wrote a letter and took it to his neighbors. Their attendance at the Council’s next work session led to further involvement with city engineers and the Council to consider more options being.
The initial consideration, placing sidewalks in the city right-of-way, would cost less than $25,000 but could reduce yards by up to 20 percent.
There is also an option to build the sidewalk into the 36-foot wide road on the north side or the south side. However, this could cost an additional $50,000 in order to keep drainage on the street flowing properly. Adding the sidewalk to the street would decrease travel space by approximately six feet, so the road would still be six feet wider than the average 24 feet. This option, while more expensive, could also help to slow traffic, but it could take away the option for street side parking.
“Originally, the council chose the least expensive option,” Quenelle said, “but now it’s not just about money. All it took was four people showing up to get them to think more about this. They have shown real concern for us losing our front yards.”
There are a few residents who don’t think it’s necessary to have sidewalks, but Quenelle pointed out that walkers, school kids and parents with strollers would definitely use the sidewalk. He also said he thinks the addition of a sidewalk to the neighborhood could potentially boost home values if it is constructed in the right place.
“I think we’re lucky to have a group [the Council] put forth a lot of work toward such a minor decision — and in many places this would be considered a minor decision,” Quenelle said. “They seem genuinely concerned with every aspect of this.”
The controversial segment of Roseland is approximately 700 feet and would connect Ridge Road sidewalks to the existing sidewalks on Roseland that stop at East Glenwood Drive.
“Cost is definitely a factor in the decision,” said Council member Fred Hawkins, “but in this case it is more about what the people want, or what they don’t want. We definitely don’t want to put a sidewalk where it’s not wanted.”
Council member Heather Reid believes the section would serve as major linking point for Homewood’s sidewalk system.
“It’s important. It connects the school to the library. Lots of students walk down this road,” she said. “And there are a lot of bikers and joggers.”
The council has agreed to discuss projects in other wards before coming back to the Roseland Drive project so more information about various options can be presented.
Council member Jennifer Wallis said the project is too important to go unattended indefinitely. However, the council is currently re-prioritizing other potential locations for sidewalks.
Homewood City Council meets the second and fourth Monday of each month. For upcoming agendas, visit homewoodal.net.
A wider look at city sidewalk projects
Last year, Homewood City Council allotted $1 million to fund sidewalk renovation and construction for the city.
Council member Heather Reid said the main goal of the project is to join all of Homewood. Each ward has either already received or is slated to receive new sidewalks renovations if needed.
“The great thing about the Council is that we aren’t territorial,” Reid said. “We look at Homewood as a whole, not just our ward.”
From the $1 million allotted for sidewalk projects, more than $300,000 remains. Reid and Council member Jennifer Wallis have suggested adding sidewalks to Saulter Road.
Although the remaining money can’t cover additional projects and a sidewalk for the 2-mile road that joins Broadway Street with U.S. 31, council members are hoping to add sidewalks to more popular segments of Saulter Road.
“It’s a huge safety concern,” Wallis said. “If you just see the number of baby strollers being pushed along the road, you see how dangerous it is.”
In addition, the project on Columbiana Road from Carr Avenue to Oxmoor road has been appreciated at an estimated cost of $180,000. The design would include adding a center island to the street, re-painting the lines and adding drainage to eliminate open ditches along the street.
“This area ties in residential with retail,” Hawkins said. “A lot of people walk that road and there’s no sidewalk at all.”
Reid said the Council does not want to stop at $1 million, but rather find a way to continue funding projects that make the city safer for pedestrians, whether students, joggers or parents with strollers.
