Cohen Street residents present petition; council asks engineer to research grant options for widening and drainage

A group of Cohen Street residents brought a petition to the Burns Harbor Town Council asking the town to address narrow roadway width and associated access and drainage problems.

Resident Travis Capenna, speaking for the petitioners, said the street is so narrow drivers frequently must traverse private yards to pass. Council members and the town engineer discussed constraints including mailboxes, easements and drainage; the engineer said the work is technically achievable but likely expensive. "If the reconstruction of any street, it requires a tremendous amount of cost to the town itself. The cost might exceed probably in the north of 500,000, if not more," the town engineer said.

Council asked staff to record the petition in the meeting minutes and to ask the town engineer to look into grant opportunities for widening Cohen Street. Staff agreed to pursue that research. The meeting transcript shows residents and council discussed storm-drain extensions and whether drainage work could be done separately from full roadway reconstruction; staff said grants for storm infrastructure alone are limited and local funding may be required.

Why it matters: Narrow residential streets can present daily safety and access problems for residents and emergency vehicles. The council's request for grant research starts a process toward evaluating feasibility and funding options.

Next steps: Clerk Watkins was asked to note the petition in the minutes and to provide the petition signatures for the record; the engineer will investigate state or federal grant programs and report findings back to the council.