PEPPER PIKE, Ohio — If you’re traveling on Lander Road in Pepper Pike, you might notice things look a bit different.
“They started to pour, I threw some shoes on and ran out of the house to watch them pour in the sidewalk and I’ve been tracking daily,” said William Thompson, a Pepper Pike resident.
For years, residents like Thompson and Vera Bartasavich have been wanting to make Pepper Pike a more walkable community.
“It’s been a very contentious subject. Many individuals wanted it. But there were people against it,” Vera said.
Because of their ambition, Vera and her husband, Gerard Bartasavich, began canvassing the community to gain people’s support.
“We set up our dining room as a mission control. We had a map, and we mapped it out and we walked on 104 streets of our city, knocked on doors, passed out fliers,” Gerard said.
The issue eventually made it on last November’s ballot and gained 65% of voters’ approval to add sidewalks on Lander Road, Shaker Boulevard and South Woodland Road.
RELATED: Pepper Pike voters approve plan to add sidewalks
“After three of these main streets in Pepper Pike are finished, other residents are asking now, can we get our street, so we can see the change coming,” Gerard said.
Last year, News 5 did hear from some residents who opposed adding sidewalks due to Pepper Pike’s character being changed.
RELATED: Pepper Pike community to decide if sidewalks should be placed on three main streets this November
But Mayor Richard Bain said if you look at the design, that’s not the case.
“People can see that it’s very modest, and visually it does not have a detrimental impact, and I think people will become very comfortable with their presence along the roadway,” Bain said.
As construction continues, Bain said the city will address the “sidewalks” as recreational trails so the maintenance doesn’t fall on residents while enjoying this new addition.
“Having that safety is just really exciting,” Vera said.
As neighbors patiently wait for this project to be completed, they have a celebration for the installation of sidewalks planned for this Saturday at 11 a.m. on Lander Road.
