OBSERVER Photo by Gregory Bacon Some residents on Evans Street are concerned about a proposal to install sidewalks, saying the road is too steep for wheelchairs.

MAYVILLE – Some village residents are questioning a proposal to install sidewalks on their street, saying the proposal has not been thoroughly studied, especially when it comes to meeting the standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

During the Mayville Village Board meeting, Denise Emory, who lives on East Evans Street, asked the village board to pause its plans to install a sidewalk on her street.

“I feel there’s a great concern for the safety of those who may make use of the proposed sidewalk. … I’m concerned that it’s not going to meet ADA standards and requirements,” she said.

Mayor Rick Syper proposed the sidewalk when he put together the 2026-2027 budget, which officially begins June 1.

Syper said previously that he wants to install a sidewalk on Evans Street so pedestrians can walk from uptown to the newly installed trail on Lakeview Avenue. He said the project would be paid with state funds from the Consolidated local street and Highway Improvement Program (CHIPS). It’s expected to cost $17,000.

Other concerns Emory noted included that the proposed sidewalk design would need to address the 18 stormwater catchbasins, 12 power poles, and three fire hydrants, all within the proposed path.

“In my mind I see the electric scooters. We get that traffic on the street. We get people coming up to go to Tops and they’re using the street and it’s working well for them. But I do have a concern of them using the sidewalk with all of those 18 grates – those wheels hitting those grates and going out of control, they’re going down almost a 7% grade,” Emory said. “They’re going to lose control. They’re going to hit poles, they’re going to hit hydrants.”

She suggested making Evans a one-way street instead.

The week before the Mayville Village Board’s May meeting, Syper met with residents on the street. Although the meeting was not advertised ahead of time, no trustees were there, so it did not violate the state’s Open Meetings laws.

Evans Street resident Christee Testa also spoke at the village board meeting and alleged that Syper told residents at that meeting he “had already made up his mind” before soliciting feedback.

“At this point I don’t think it’s even about the sidewalk anymore; it’s about process, leadership, governance, and whether people in this community still believe their voice matters,” she said.

Christee Testa and her husband Mike had filed a Freedom Of Information Request for all documents on the sidewalk. She said there were no engineering or grading plans, no ADA or environmental review, no traffic or pedestrian study, no safety analysis, and no documentation explaining why this street was selected.

“Meanwhile, if you look at the sidewalk proposal currently under discussion in Lakewood, you’ll see engineering drawings, grading details, feasibility evaluation, and active public feedback processes — because that project is still being evaluated before a final decision is made,” she said.

Mike Testa said they aren’t necessarily opposed to a sidewalk. They just believe it’s being forced upon residents without proper review.

“Most of us aren’t anti-sidewalk. This isn’t about resisting change. Walkability sounds good. Connectivity sounds good. But the issue here isn’t the goal. Good intentions don’t automatically produce good outcomes,” he said.

He also expressed concerns about the grade of road.

“We were told by several village officials that this sidewalk will meet ADA standards on paper. In reality, nobody is pushing a wheelchair up that hill. And nobody is safely walking a wheel chair down it either,” he said.

After the meeting, Syper was asked about residents’ concerns and the meeting he held with residents.

“We are trying to answer all of their questions on ADA and all that. We will keep moving forward until we can get ADA compliant to keep it moving. If we find that these are items that cannot be approved by ADA standards, we talked about revisiting a different project,” he said.