If you haven’t been downtown lately, please take a moment to tour what is going on with our sidewalks! This is going to affect our businesses, and the overall landscape of the City of Amery, Wisconsin for the next 100 years, if we don’t do something about it now!

The engineers have been careful to stay within the ADA requirements, but have totally forgotten about the “human factor” in their design. They have given us a “ramp” at the outer edge of the sidewalks that is 15% grade or more in some areas. We see this as a major safety concern. The engineers solution to the problem is, if you think that’s too steep or slippery, you can walk to the ends of the block and access the sidewalk from the ADA wheelchair ramp areas at the bumpouts. Also, we believe that this steep grade will also get car doors hung up, as many elderly people must open their doors all the way, to use as leverage for standing up.

We have started a petition for the city council to have an emergency meeting on this issue, as it will have a detrimental affect on local business, as well as the safety of our visitors for a very long time. If the sidewalks stay, as currently planned, we are fearful of additional costs to the city by way of lawsuits over slip and fall accidents.

Please keep your comments civil, productive, and thoughtful, and let's work to get this right, using the proper channels of government. Thank you!

PETITION FOR A CALL TO ACTION, REGARDING THE DESIGN AND FUNCTION OF THE ROAD AND SIDEWALK DESIGN FOR THE 100 AND 200 BLOCKS OF Keller AV N, AMERY, WI

We, the undersigned business owners of the 100 and 200 blocks of Keller Av N, Amery, WI, and concerned community citizens, are asking for a temporary STOP to the current road and sidewalk project, and hold an emergency City Council meeting to reassess its long-term economic and safety impact.

Whereas: said project is likely to impact our community for decades to come, it is incumbent on getting it done correctly

And whereas: if changes are to be made, it will never be less expensive to take corrective action than right now

And whereas: we do not need to give our potential customers any reasons to NOT come to Amery to shop, dine and socialize

And whereas: said project design has reduced an already difficult parking situation by up to 12 spaces, just at the intersections of Keller AV and Birch ST, with up to another 6 spaces lost at the intersections on the north and south ends of the two block area

And, whereas: the majority of lost parking spaces are those closest to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) approved access corners, meaning handicapped parking areas are farther away from the access areas the handicapped access parking areas are supposed to serve

And whereas: the section boulevard between the curb and the ADA compliant walkway, has what we believe to have an excessive, and dangerous, slope

And whereas: we do not believe most visitors to downtown Amery will park in front of the businesses they wish to visit, somewhere between the ADA access points at the street corners, and walk to said ADA accesses, again causing a potentially dangerous situation

And whereas: the above excessive slope appears that it will cause issues with the simple task of opening a passenger side car door

And whereas: we challenge someone to show us the successful implementation of such a curb and sidewalk design in this region, especially with consideration to ice accumulating on the sloped area.

Now, therefore: we are asking for an immediate halt to said project, for an opportunity to have an open discussion on a project that will affect the economics and safety of our downtown businesses for decades to come.