Woman's efforts lead to sidewalk repairs in West View

From her motorized wheelchair, Kathy Lang pleaded with West View council to fix the sidewalks and curb cuts along West View Park Drive.

The cracked sidewalks and steep curb cuts were forcing her to ride her wheelchair in the street and boldly face the traffic and taunts of drivers.

That April 2 speech has paid off.

Repairs have begun on the sidewalk by the Wendy's restaurant on West View Park Drive, one of the areas posing problems for Lang and other people using wheelchairs. A Wendy's spokesman said Wednesday the repairs began Saturday and are expected to be completed next week.

“When the condition of the sidewalk was brought to our attention, we took quick action to initiate the necessary repairs. This is important and the right thing to do,” Wendy's spokesman Bob Bertini wrote in an email to the McKnight Journal.

A McKnight Journal reporter had contacted Wendy's about the sidewalk. One of two cracks curved for about 3 feet and ran 3 to 6 inches wide.

Lang, 53, of West View said she was “thrilled” by the repairs to the sidewalk.

“I said to my father and to lot of friends, ‘When you physically go to a place to advocate and make people aware of an issue, that has more results than just a phone call because then people know you're serious about changing the issue in a positive way.'”

Lang took a reporter and photographer on a tour of the sidewalks April 14.

“I actually broke my wheel on that curb,” said Lang, pointing out the deep crack in the sidewalk at Wendy's.

Lang, a resident of West View Towers for nearly 23 years, has cerebral palsy and has used a motorized wheelchair since she was 18. She was not the only resident of the high-rise worried about the condition of nearby sidewalks.

June McGuire, 76, said she was driving her three-wheeled scooter on the sidewalk along West View Park Drive more than six months ago, when it tipped over.

“It's very dangerous,” she said. “There are holes. Your wheels can get caught in it, and you don't even know you're flipping till you flip.”

Patty Turkovich, 49, called the pavement “the alleged sidewalks.”

“They're horrific,” she said.

Because of an illness when she was 5 years old, Turkovich has an artificial leg. Like Lang, Turkovich takes her chances driving her motorized wheelchair in the street.

“I will chance having a car run me down,” she said. “It's a lot safer than tipping over.”

Bruce Fromlak, West View manager and police chief, told Lang at the meeting that the responsibility for fixing the sidewalks belongs to the property owners.

The sidewalk ramps on the opposite side of West View Park Drive are a different challenge.

“I don't travel too much on the sidewalk on the other side because the curb cuts are so steep,” Lang said.

She said the most difficult is near Dunkin' Donuts. A Dunkin' Donuts representative said the company is investigating the issue.

West View council President Barry Schell talked to Fromlak to see whether property owners were responsible for improving the curb cuts to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The sidewalks were built before the law was passed. At this point, they and West View Solicitor Mike Witherel are not sure.

“I wish I had a magic wand that I could make it happen overnight,” Schell said.

Bill Zlatos is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-772-6353 or bzlatos@tribweb.com.