Village residents have stepped up their requests to have trustees make a greater effort to replace sidewalks which pose a danger to pedestrians.

The start of Monday's board of trustees meeting was filled with comments from residents who wanted to draw greater attention to problem sidewalks.

Mary Marx told the board there are many places where she has tripped on uneven sidewalks.

Marx told the board she tripped and fell in front of 10 Delaware Street eight years ago and it's still not fixed.

Streets and buildings committee chairman Glenn Hubbell said the board has a priority list of sidewalks targeted for replacement.

'If there are any additional ones we want to hear about them. Don't be afraid to let us know," he said.

Ellen St. John said she has fallen twice in front of 62 Elm Street and although she broke no bones, she was banged up.

Fire chief Jim Tallman related having seen a pedestrian fall near Robinson's service station and almost get hit by a car.

Planning board member Charles Hill commented that residents shouldn't be misled by the sidewalk list. Hill spearheaded the creation of the list last fall.

The list, he said, probably has 50 top spots, but the master list has 400 to 500 spots.

"The whole issue of sidewalks needs your support, leadership and money," he told the mayor and trustees.

Cooperstown has more than twenty miles of sidewalks and at the rate the village is replacing them, it would take more than decades to get to them all.

Hill said he understood the need to address many of the other capital projects the board has approved in recent years, but that it is now time to focus on sidewalks.

"It all comes down to the dollars," said mayor Carol Waller, who added there are only 2,000 residents paying for everything.

According to DPW superintendent Brian Clancy, the village budgets more than $10,000 a year for concrete and other materials for sidewalk work. That figure does not include labor and equipment costs.

Waller said that because tourists use the sidewalks also, it would be a perfect thing for the county's bed tax to fund.

Trustee Jeff Katz said he knew the village had a schedule of road repairs, but wondered if the board should reassess the plan.

"We have people falling and being hurt," he said.

Katz said rough roads may be inconvenient and unpleasant, but he would rather postpone Chestnut Street for a year and work on sidewalks.

Josephine White told the board that once this year and once last year her wheelchair tipped over because of the poor condition of the sidewalk. White said she was hurt on both occasions.

"It's not just people in wheelchairs," she said.

White said she did not sue the village, but that at some point, a tourist will get hurt and they will sue the village.

Dr. Herbert Marx, a board member of the walking example group (WE-GO), said the group works to promote Cooperstown as a walkable community and sidewalks and a walking lifestyle should be a priority issue.

Jean Dewey said she hoped the mayor and board will be proactive with the sidewalk issue.

WE-GO director Brenda Berstler asked the board if it was possible to look at some of the sources which bring tourists to Cooperstown for some financial assistance.

She suggested adding 25 or 50 cents to the price of each ticket at attractions to create a revenue stream paid for by tourists.

An entertainment tax like she proposed would have to be approved by the legislature.

Waller said the Hall of Fame was asked previously if they would voluntarily participate in such a proposal, but "they didn't respond."

Trustee Paul Kuhn, who made an issue of sidewalks during his campaign for the board this spring, said the village had no specific capital reserve fund for sidewalks, but that it did have a reserve fund for streets totaling almost $250,000.

"Perhaps we could spend some of that money on sidewalks," he said.

"I think it's a great bed tax thing," Waller repeated. "Hit them up."