City of Cortland Ward Walks Give Residents Opportunity to Speak With City Officials – Work to Resolve Issues in Neighborhoods

X101 News was invited to join the City of Cortland for their final Ward Walk in the city. On Thursday afternoon city officials walked in Ward 7 located on Cortland’s Eastside. The 7th Ward is represented by Alderman Troy Beckwith. Beckwith says the walks allow him and city officials to meet with residents one-on-one and also to see what you typically wouldn’t notice if driving by.

During the walk, the city made note of hazardous sidewalks, sidewalk ramps that do not comply with ADA standards, code violations, and vacant houses the city was not aware of. Mayor Steve say the city will inform properties of code violations, but added the city will also provide them information on grant funding to pay for the costs such as sidewalk replacement or new paint/siding on a house through Thoma Development.

Some concerns residents were able to voice with city officials during their walk included work being done on Main Street, dog control concerns, street parking issues, stormwater management, and broken garbage totes. Each and every concern brought up or issue that was found during the walk was written down to follow-up on.

Walking through Cortland’s Eastside, the city found at least two properties that were vacant the city was not aware of. Mayor Steve told X101 News the city has found at least 10 properties from all the Ward Walks that are vacant.

The walk also showed possibilities of future developments for more affordable housing units, or single-family homes. There were also ideas brought up of connecting streets to help with development, particularly in the area where APEX Tools once stood.

The City of Cortland first began their Ward Walks at the end of April. This was the first time this type of outreach was done. According to the city, the walks double-down their commitment to transparency and access and to focus on building a stronger relationship with residents and city officials.