Prairie Village residents: 'Not in my front yard!'

PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. - “Not in my front yard!” That is what so many people in Prairie Village, Kan., have said that city council members are now reconsidering the city's walking trail plan.

Tuesday night, city council members will decide if they should scrap a 20 year walking trail plan.

The city admits the problem is that many of the proposed trails would run through several front yards.

Some are along Roe, Nall, Somerset and other streets.

The trail plan would either widen an existing sidewalk or require a new one in the public easement of a person's front yard.

Just a few years ago, 80 percent of residents surveyed said they liked the idea of walking trails.

However, when the city began constructing the first of them in front yards city hall was flooded with phone calls.

"That's a horrible idea. There are a lot of parks. No, absolutely not,” said Prairie Village resident Chris Kennedy.

Several sections of a trail have already been built.

The city told affected residents it was the city's right-of-way and there was nothing they could do about it.

To view the city's master walking trail plan, visit http://pvpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Proposed_Trail_Route_Prairie_Village.jpg