Residents urge fixes to downtown sidewalks and a no-parking sign by 14 Hudson

Cheryl Daniels, a resident who identified herself during public comment, told the Glens Falls City Council that vehicles parked near the rear entrance of 14 Hudson block sight lines and make left turns from the building dangerous and requested a no-parking sign near Park Street and Elm.

Kate Lewis, another resident, said she keeps a running list of nearly 10 downtown sidewalk locations where people can easily fall and be injured; she told the council she has been to the hospital after a fall and urged the city to require building owners to repair sidewalks "so the sidewalks downtown should be very walkable."

A council member and staff responded that the city typically holds property owners responsible for sidewalk maintenance and clearing but said the city can and does clear sidewalks in cases of chronic neglect, then bill the owner and escalate nonpayment. A council member noted the council passed a law some years ago allowing the city to contract for clearing and recover costs from landowners.

Council staff also said the city maintains an ADA inventory and that the list residents provided can be used to update the inventory and develop a prioritization plan for repairs to be reported back to the mayor and council.

The council did not adopt a specific repair schedule at the meeting; staff asked residents to submit a marked list of problem locations and said city staff would follow up and report on next steps.