Homeowners raise safety and maintenance concerns about proposed Titonia sidewalk connection

Residents near the Titonia roadway project told the Village of Brown Deer Board of Trustees on Aug. 4 that proposed sidewalk alignments would connect public sidewalks to private homeowners-association paths, raising maintenance and liability concerns.

Don Shelton, president of the Metacyte Homeowners Association, said the draft project map shows a dotted-line sidewalk connecting to an existing asphalt HOA path. Shelton said the HOA does not plow or otherwise maintain that path and that association insurance would not cover public liability: “We do not snowball or take care of all that app because our insurance would have to cover the liability if the someone slips on that path,” he said, and added that residents currently walk informal “rabbit paths” across snow to reach the area.

Resident Libby Greaves, who said she lives on West Donna Drive, echoed concerns that a new, smooth public sidewalk that tied into a broken, uneven HOA path would create an abrupt and unsafe transition and increase pedestrian traffic onto the HOA path. Greaves said she and other residents support sidewalks on main streets but do not want improved public sidewalks to terminate at a degraded private path.

Village staff agreed to follow up. Village Manager Tyler offered to set a post-meeting meeting with staff and the homeowners association and said the village would update the board through department updates. Tyler also suggested staff would work behind the scenes with the HOA and relevant staff (he asked if the residents had spoken with Nate Pietrowski or Matthew Mader) to identify alternatives that would route pedestrians to the Dean Road crosswalk or the creek trail, rather than onto the HOA asphalt path.

No formal action was taken; staff described the matter as appropriate for further discussion with engineering and community-development staff and for inclusion in a future departmental update.