ROCKVILLE, Md. — Angry Montgomery County residents have temporarily silenced the chainsaws in a Rockville neighborhood, by filing for a temporary restraining order to halt a hotly contested sidewalk installation project.
But work was not stopped not before county authorities outraged some neighbors in the Rock Creek Manor subdivision by beginning to take down at least three trees to make room for a planned $500,000 strip of walkway.
"Once we became aware that a lawsuit was filed, we temporarily suspended the work," said Montgomery County Department of Transportation spokesperson Emily DeTitta.
“How can they just start cutting down trees already?," complained project opponent Donald Lech, as he and other dismayed neighbors viewed a pile of mulch along Parkvale Road, where a prized cherry tree used to stand.
“We don't want this and yet they keep trying to force this on us," Lech said.
Neighbor Kathy Frager held a sign opposing the sidewalk project as she spoke.
“If you'd wanted to live in a neighborhood that had sidewalks you should have moved into a neighborhood that had sidewalks”
According to county documents the sidewalk plan came in late 2022 after two petitions with 184 signatures combined asked for the safety feature.
Among the supporters is Josh Greenberg who spoke to WUSA9 in May.
“For me it's personal I have an autistic son who cannot walk safely in the street," Greenberg said at the time.
However, by the time public hearings and comments were finished, opponents outnumbered supporters, according to the county's report.
Despite opposition, Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation decided to move ahead with its sidewalk plan, citing the proximity of pedestrian attractions like schools, synagogues and the nearby Rock Creek Trail.
One groundbreaking was delayed in May by the filing of a lawsuit that was later withdrawn.
Residents followed by filing a complaint with Montgomery County's Inspector General claiming the sidewalk plan misuses federal transportation funds.
In their filing for a Temporary Restraining Order, residents argued the sidewalk plan violates the county's own environmental rules and does not comply with the county's published pedestrian safety priorities.