Resident urges council to approve sidewalks by Southside School on Tuttle Road

Jeff Hayden, a Bristol resident, asked the City Council to consider installing sidewalks on Tuttle Road near Southside School after discussing the matter at the Board of Public Works.

"Basically, my initial request really was just for a hundred feet through this vacant lot, essentially, to the driveway here at 93 Tuttle," Hayden said during public participation. He told councilors that Public Works provided a memo stating the department had budgeted for the installation and would cover costs so homeowners would not have to pay.

Hayden described a near‑miss in which a small child ran into the roadway while a parent with a stroller and two children crossed where no sidewalk existed. "The only reason they were in the road is they didn't have a sidewalk to walk on," he said.

Hayden cited the city code and charter provisions for initiating new sidewalks, saying the council is the correct venue: "The code of ordinances actually says the city council is the correct venue ... Section 26 or 21 dash 36 is owner's petitions and council initiated for new sidewalks ... as more fully provided for in sections 43 through 47 of the charter."

Mayor Jeff Cajano noted the matter had been heard at the Board of Public Works, where there had been both support and opposition and that the board concluded it was "not a significant change." The mayor said he had reached out to the Southside School principal to explore traffic‑management options, such as staggered dismissal, to reduce conflicts for walkers.

Hayden offered to return for a public hearing and said other residents would speak in favor if the council schedules one. The council did not vote on the petition during the meeting; it was presented as public participation and left for future action.

No formal motion or vote was taken on the sidewalk petition at this meeting.