After reading about what helps seniors to better age in place (Variety, Feb. 25), it would appear all of them need to move to Minneapolis or St. Paul, where there are skyways and convenient shops. What about all the seniors who live in every other area of Minnesota? Many of these seniors are not interested in moving, much less to Minneapolis or St. Paul. In fact, the senior population is growing at a much faster pace in Greater Minnesota than anywhere else. What are our options? I realize that urban areas were the scope of the particular researcher cited in the article, and I applaud her work, but please don't represent it as an answer for Minnesota's senior populations, as the headline at StarTribune.com did. Small cities across the state are tackling this issue by incorporating these discussions in overall city planning. It might be a good idea for university researchers to expand their vision also. The last conversation we need as a state is another topic for division between metro/urban/rural.
Suzanne Hilgert, Olivia, Minn.
The writer is Olivia's mayor.
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So pleased to read with my 69-year-old eyes that environmental gerontologist Jessica Finlay has "found that seniors love skyways … and joke about being killed while trying to cross a busy street-even with the light and in a crosswalk." Crosswalk? Would be nice. At a Whittier Alliance meeting last spring, I asked City Council Member Lisa Bender's assistant why the painted crosswalks (in my Whittier neighborhood) aren't painted on a maintenance basis. Many are a sorry and dangerous excuse for a crosswalk. I was told that council members do not have discretionary budget money to do this — yet, there seems to be plenty for bike lanes, safety poles, etc. You want us to "age in place"? Then start respecting people who choose to walk by maintaining the crosswalks, including pedestrian-activated flashers.
Joanna Kause-Johnson, Minneapolis
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I can relate to the article on "Aging in a better place." When my husband and I would take our daily walks, we knew the whereabouts of every wall and rock on which to take a rest. Now that I am staying in my home alone, I also have become aware of the challenges. I welcomed the arrival of light rail to my neighborhood, hoping I would be able to leave my car in the garage. However, obstacles such as walking distance, icy sidewalks, lack of parking or pick-up space finds me not using it as much as hoped. The last time I rode the train, from the St. Paul Central station, I found that there were no benches to sit on, so I had to wait standing up! Not very senior-friendly.
Judy Bratt, Minneapolis
LIGHT RAIL
Business community widely favors it as part of an overall plan
The opposition from some quarters at the State Capitol to Southwest light rail specifically and transit generally has been intense. Yet, there is widespread agreement within the business community about the importance of an expanding, multimodal transit system as part of an overall transportation investment policy for Minnesota.
Employers tell us the people they seek to attract to work at their businesses are drawn to transit options, the lack of which will lessen our ability to bring talent here. Already more than 40 percent of downtown Minneapolis employees arrive to work via transit, a figure that must rise to 60 percent in future years to sustain growth. And for other workers in the Twin Cities, a burgeoning transit system will open up more job opportunities than ever before. Just as one example, some 255,000 additional existing jobs will be within a 40-minute commute for riders of the planned Green Line extension (Southwest LRT).