Resident urges village to repair Birch Drive north of Penfield, cites safety and damage

Two residents told the Village Board on Feb. 24 that Birch Drive north of Penfield, between Penfield and Hodges, is in urgent need of repair.

"It's a disaster," said Dana, who identified herself during the public-comment period and said she lives on Birch Drive. "It's bumpy. ... On the way here, I was parked and another car was coming in and it was so narrow to get that car through." She said a section in front of 625 Birch causes vehicles to bottom out and that her grandson needed "zip ties to hold up his part of his bumper" after using the road.

The residents also told the board of repeated water-main breaks at the end of the road near Hodge and Birch and said the street is used as a route to park for nearby schools when classes release, increasing traffic.

Board members acknowledged the condition during the meeting. A board member said the street is in "extremely bad shape" and that it has been on the board's radar; another said they would look into the issue further. The meeting record does not specify a firm repair date or funding source.

The comments came during the public-comment portion of the meeting; no formal motion to repair or schedule work was made on Feb. 24. The board did not vote on a repair plan during the meeting and did not specify whether work would be handled by the village public-works department, contracted, or tied to another capital project.

Residents who raised the issue asked the board to inspect the roadway; the transcript shows the board acknowledged the concern and indicated staff would investigate.

The board did not provide a timetable or estimated cost during the meeting.