To the editor:

Two years ago, city workers came by and spray painted some marks on my sidewalk indicating where the concrete was raised a bit due to tree roots growing beneath and raising the sidewalk. The sidewalk was only raised about an inch, but the City of New Ulm called this a “trip hazard.” They mailed a letter stating that if I didn’t have the trip hazard fixed, they would fix it for me and send me the bill. Well, I think the City needs to buy a few cases of spray paint and mark every railroad crossing in New Ulm!

Seriously, what is going on with the crossings in New Ulm? They are horrible! The boards are rotting away, with huge gaps or missing sections of wood. Many of the boards are so loose, that they spring up in the air as cars drive over them. Large exposed bolts are left behind where the wood has rotted away. It didn’t get this bad overnight. Why hasn’t anything been done about it?

A few weeks ago, the Mayor was on the radio talking about the problem, but he didn’t lay out any plans to fix it. He even mentioned people in mobility scooters getting hung up on the railroad crossings. It’s high time for the railroad to fix this problem. Otherwise, the city should do the same as they do with “trip hazards.” Fix the crossings and send the bill to the railroad.

Jamie Milbrett

New Ulm