Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges Greenfield to close alley, add traffic calming and safety measures on Power Line Trail
Summary
A Greenfield resident asked the Common Council to make a neighborhood alley a dead end, install a pedestrian-activated signal or other calming measures at a Power Line Trail crossing and to address repeated thefts from his property; city staff and police were later cited as having responded to a homeless encampment on utility property.
During public comment at the May 6 Greenfield Common Council meeting, resident Jeffrey Sponder of 4076 S. 60th Street told the council he was asking for three safety and quality-of-life measures in his neighborhood: convert a through alley into a dead-end and deed the land back to adjacent homeowners, add pedestrian-activated traffic control or other calming at a Power Line Trail crossing on 60th Street, and reduce thefts and trespassing in alleyways.
Sponder said he has had multiple thefts from his yard — including a wheelbarrow, mulch and lumber — and cited increased use of the alley by people who have “no business being there.” He asked the city to deed the alley back to the two homeowners who abut it and argued that making it a dead end would reduce through traffic and crime.
Sponder also raised safety concerns about the Power Line Trail crossing on 60th Street, saying pedestrians and bicyclists have narrowly avoided collisions with motorists and that he has seen motorized vehicles drive on the trail. He suggested adding a pedestrian-activated stop control, speed calming bumps, or other measures. The resident said he had observed high vehicle speeds on 60th and questioned enforcement capacity.
Council members and staff responded during the meeting. The mayor and other members noted that the police department receives calls about motorized vehicles on the trail and that officers have responded; the mayor said city social workers and the fire department’s case manager coordinated with police to resolve a recent homeless encampment on utility property near the trail. Council members did not commit to a specific engineering fix but acknowledged the safety concerns and said staff would follow up on enforcement and traffic-calming possibilities.
Sponder said he wants the council to act before someone is injured; the council directed staff to review the requests and report back through the normal public works and public safety channels.
