Open letter to Belleville City Council

Attn: City Manager
An Open Letter to Mayor Conley and the Belleville City Council:
Oct. 15, 2013
I have been a homeowner and taxpayer in the City of Belleville for over 60 years. For many of those years, it has been my daily routine to walk a one-mile route up and down my neighborhood streets. I walk south on Edgemont, west on Robb, north to Angola, and east onto Huron River Drive.
On Sunday morning, Sept. 29, 2013, I began my early-morning, routine walk. As I turned to walk onto Edgemont, I tripped and fell on the sidewalk in front of the first house. This is a sidewalk that has long been in a sorry state of disrepair. When I fell, a police car entered onto Edgemont and seeing me fall, immediately called paramedics. I thanked them for their attention, but determined I needed no further care. Although I suffered aches and pain along with two colorful black eyes, I was lucky. I am thankful my injuries were few.
I suspect that because our side streets are not as visible and less traveled than Huron River Drive, they apparently don’t deserve the same attention or maintenance. Over the years there have been many complaints from my neighbors. But I want to remind the Council that we side-street residents are also taxpayers; we expect and deserve the same amount of attention.
I have personally counted 31 defective areas. I have also noted high levels of grass growing in cracks, even a tree growing in a crack on Angola which has caused a dangerous upheaval of the cement (another accident just waiting to happen!). Angola Street is especially bad!
I think you will agree when I say my fall could have been much more severe, both physically and legally. I want to see these accident-prone conditions remedied, before another person falls, one who may not be as lucky as I was.
I am pleading with the City Council to authorize the necessary inspections, to be followed up with whatever repairs are necessary to correct these hazards in our sidewalks. And, until this work is performed, I want the residents to know about these sidewalks and to beware!
Our police do not want us to walk in the streets, so I guess we need to be patient until the City solves our sidewalk problem. Until that happens, we walkers will have to purchase walking sticks and continue prodding the City Council.
I regret I will not be able to attend your next City Council meeting, so I am asking that this letter be read at your next meeting and at the same meeting, further action be taken regarding my above requests.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Virginia Memering
Belleville