Sparta residents urge traffic calming and extended sidewalks on Spring Street

During the visitors’ recognition portion of the Oct. 15 meeting, Gina Piazza of 10 Riverview Court spoke for the Sparta Association and asked trustees to consider traffic calming and additional sidewalks tied to the Road Diet and Spring Street paving.

Piazza said southbound traffic often uses several parallel streets as a Highway 9 bypass and described a lack of sidewalks and recent falls in the area. "We want to ask that although our streets are not included at all in this diet, that there is consideration taken for the impact beyond these updates as Highway 9 narrows," she said, urging the board to consider traffic calming for streets used as bypasses.

Village Manager Karen Dottore responded with funding context: some sidewalk work depends on federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars and funds may not be available; she also noted the village tries to reserve public dollars for areas used predominantly by low-to-moderate-income residents and that typical sidewalk repair is often assessed to homeowners. Mayor Levin and other trustees said they would review the Sparta Association’s survey results and discuss next steps when funding availability is confirmed.

Why it matters: Sidewalk and traffic-calming changes affect pedestrian safety and neighborhood connectivity, particularly where the population includes young families and older residents. Residents requested a timeline and asked the board to consider the distributional impacts of funding and assessments.

Next steps: Manager Dottore said the board will review the Sparta Association’s survey and the village will consider project timing and funding availability, including CDBG constraints and homeowner-assessment rules.