Marty, Tom & Cathy, Bonson RdJuly 8, 2002
Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
c/o City Clerk
City of Dubuque
50 West 13th St.
Dubuque, Iowa 52001
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
My name is Thomas Marry. My wife Cathy and I reside at 3461 Sunset Park Circle.
We are writing to you to express our deep concern regarding a scheduled street
construction project that would extend Bonson Road. We believe the Bonson Road
project is slated for 2004 and would extend the existing portion of the street
approximately 1 to 1 1/2 blocks north from the intersection of Meggan Street to the start
of Judge Lane.
This street extension would extend directly behind our home. The reasons for our concern
are as follows:
1. This very expensive project will serve only one property owner. There is no tangible
benefit to any other taxpayer at this time. The high cost of this project seems very waste-
ful when considering what little benefit (if any) would be gained by the other taxpayers.
2. This project will cause extensive intrusion into, and will create negative modifications
to, the properties that border this project. Due to the topography of this area, the project
will require the installation of a large and expensive retaining wall running most of the
length of the east side of the project. The construction of this wall will necessitate the
removal of most, if not all, of the mature trees along our properties. These trees provide
invaluable shade and privacy, and add aesthetic value to the properties. This wall will
also extend very close to our property lines. It will remove the natural slope to the
existing property and create an undesirable and unsafe vertical drop-off of almost 10 feet
along much of its length.
3. The construction of this street will create a situation by wlfich the homes along Sunset
Park Circle will become a "peninsula" so to speak. We will have a busy street in front of
our properties and, eventually, a very busy street directly behind our properties.
This construction will remove the normal "buffer" zone that exists in the rear of most of
the homes in the city; We are sure you can appreciate the negative effects a street of any
kind would have were it built on the rear border of your properties. Imagine the loss of
privacy and the increased street noise just outside your own bedroom windows.
4. This project will also require the installation of sidewalks at some point. We are told
the bordering property owners will be responsible for the installation, maintenance and
clearing of these walks. A rear sidewalk at the bottom of a 10-foot retaining wall
certainly offers no benefit to any property owner. For some of us there would be no way
to get a snow blower over the retaining wall. We would have to transport the equipment
in a vehicle around the block to maintain the sidewalk in the winter.
5. Last, but most certainly not least, a sizeable percentage of the project costs generated
by this construction will be assessed to all property owners within 300 feet of the project.
This amplifies the financial hardship and adds greatly to our duress.
In summation,
-This project will significantly alter our property and all neighboring properties in an
extremely adverse fashion.
-This project will, most certainly and significantly reduce the value of our property and
all adjoining properties.
-This project will cause great financial and emotional hardship to us and all neighboring
residents.
-This project will provide absolutely no benefit to us or any neighboring residents, with
the possible exception of one property owner at the end of the proposed construction.
-This project, in our opinion, is completely unnecessary and would be a significant waste
of valuable tax dollars that are badly needed elsewhere.
-We will in essence be paying a great deal for something that will depreciate our
property's value and its livability.
We most respectfully request that you confer with the city engineering department and
cancel this project for the above stated reasons. We also would request that you inform us
as to your decision regarding this matter.
We are at your service to answer any questions you may have concerning our requests.
Thank you for your kind consideration to this letter.
Respectfully,
Thomas and Catherine Marty
3461 Sunset Park Circle
Dubuque, Iowa 52002
563-588-1449
cc: Michael VanMilligen
Michel Koch