La Grande schedules sidewalk roundtable after residents raise ADA and safety concerns

At a city town hall, residents pressed officials about missing sidewalks, incomplete segments and a lack of safe bike lanes downtown. John (the city host) said the city will hold a community roundtable on August 19 to dig into options and priorities and urged residents to participate.

"The ordinance in La Grande actually makes it so that the adjoining, a property owner is actually financially responsible for the care and maintenance of the sidewalks," John said, noting the city posted the rule on social media to spur discussion. Stacy, the city recorder, told attendees the full city code — including the sidewalk ordinance — is available online at cityoflagrande.org and encouraged residents to review it.

Residents and department staff said the Safe Routes to School program and other state resources already contribute to sidewalk work, but that local gaps — such as half-block sidewalks that stop abruptly — cause safety concerns for children and pedestrians. An ODOT representative clarified that some corridors are state-owned and that ODOT is reprioritizing ADA work in response to a lawsuit, which has shifted timelines for improvement in certain corridors.

City officials said consultants are reviewing how the city uses street-user fees and other financing tools and that the roundtable will explore options such as Local Improvement Districts, targeted grants and incremental repair strategies. The roundtable aims to collect community priorities before staff return recommendations to council.