-------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: Fwd: Sidewalk in town Date: Fri, 31 Jan 2020 12:32:49 -0500 (EST) From: Warner Town Administrator To: Selectboard For continued public hearing next Wed night - budget committee. ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Rachel Charlton To: administrator@warner.nh.us Sent: Fri, 31 Jan 2020 08:41:27 -0500 (EST) Subject: Sidewalk in town Good morning I just wanted to reach out regarding the proposal of a sidewalk through town that extends down to the lower part of town. I am not sure where the proposal is at as far as who to talk to so I thought this might be a good starting point. I attended the budget meeting last night with the intentions of letting my thoughts on the matter be heard, however I received a message from my son and had to leave shortly after nine. At that point it had still not come up. I feel very strongly that this sidewalk should happen and we as a town should find any way we can to make it work. I love the fact that we put in a sidewalk allowing our elderly North Road residents to have better access to groceries etc. Its important to realize that not only do we have elderly residents elsewhere in town, but that it's not only the elderly that have issues with transportation. We have a good number of people living in our downtown area that either don't have the ability to drive or don't have access to a vehicle. With no reasonable access to public transportation in a small town such as ours (which is par for the course in small town life) those residents have to either find someone to give them a ride to work or to get groceries (which they will inevitably forget something) or walk to the store. As a mother I have a different reason for wanting this sidewalk to happen. I have been on the other end of a phone call from our fire department telling me that my child had been hit by a truck. Thankfully he was only clipped and with some rest and ice for a few days he was okay, but that paralyzing fear that rips through you when you receive that call is nothing that I would ever wish on another parent. We all know he is not the only child to be hit on that stretch of road, but he is one that a sidewalk would have helped. I feel like as a community we have tried to promote health and well being in our residents. A healthy community is a happy community and results in long lasting residents whose children grow to love their town and want to raise their families there as a result. I feel as though this decision is one that impacts every aspect of our town and should definitely get a fair shot. Thank you for taking the time to hear me on this, and I would be happy to share my position with any departments involved in this decision. Rachel Charlton Warner