Two Colorado Springs-area homeowners express frustration about sidewalk issues
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — Driving around the Pikes Peak region this summer, it's easy to find crews performing concrete work to prepare for repaving streets for this year and future years.
Some residents wish that the broken sidewalks in front of their homes could be fixed as quickly and efficiently.
Two viewers recently contacted KRDO 13's The Road Warrior to share frustrations about sidewalk damage in front of their homes.
One of them is Barbara Emerson, a 78-year-old widow who said that she and her late husband were the first to build a home in the Villa Loma neighborhood of northeast Colorado Springs.
Over time, her sidewalks haven't fared well.
"I've been waiting for several years to have them repaired," she said. "There are a lot of people who walk on them, or walk their dogs, and I'm afraid of someone tripping and falling, and getting hurt."
Emerson said that a city official told her in 2019 that she was on a list to be considered for a city cost-sharing program, in which residents can opt to pay half the cost of a sidewalk repair, in order to have it fixed sooner.
"Then he said that my half will be $700," she explained. "Well, I about fell over because I didn't think I'd be paying anything. So, I've left it that way. I'm not going to fix it myself."
During a sidewalk controversy covered by The Road Warrior in December 2024, officials revealed that the city had a backlog of 6,000 requests for sidewalk repairs — because of growth, limited resources, and the number of requests coming in faster than repairs can be made.
At that time, the city said that between 100 to 150 residents register annually for the cost-sharing program.
Meanwhile, just southeast of the city, in Security-Widefield, Michael Sadley has a somewhat unique issue with his sidewalk on McGrew Circle; roots from a neighbor's tree, he believes, are undermining his sidewalk and driveway.
The sidewalk is sinking in some places and rising in others, creating a tripping hazard.
"(One) morning, a lady tripped and scraped her knee pretty badly," he said. "So, I tried to help her. I gave her some water and some bandages. She was alright. She was walking her dog. She was mad at me. She came knocking on my door. I said that it wasn't my fault."
Sadley said that he has contacted the city several times about the matter, and didn't realize that he should have contacted El Paso County instead.
"I'm going to do that," he said.
The tree is on property owned by an elderly woman, he explained, who can't afford to have the tree trimmed or removed.
"A group of us neighbors get together once a year to clean up her yard, but there's only so much we can do," Sadley said. "I hope the county can do something because it'll cost me $7,500 to pay for fixing the sidewalk myself."
The Road Warrior contacted the county about the matter, and a spokesman said that it's being investigated.
Residents with sidewalk issues should report them to the appropriate department as soon as possible, so that officials will be aware of them.
