CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – A decades-old staircase is set to come down on Charleston’s West Side, but not without controversy.
At last Monday’s city council meeting, a handful of residents spoke in favor of getting rid of the stairs citing safety issues and problems with the unsheltered population.
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“What I see is vagrants up and down the steps. We’ve had to call the police multiple times. I’ve got no trespassing signs that have been torn down multiple times. There’s needles. There’s trash,” said Jerry Lacy at the meeting.
Lacy told the Charleston City Council that the walkway, which connects Lower Chester Road and Washington Street West, runs through his private property.
“In the last four/five years we’ve had nothing but trouble out of the steps,” he said.
Councilwoman Jeanine Faegre told 13 News residents reached out to her about their concerns. She said those inquiries resulted in a bill being proposed to close, abandon and discontinue the walkway.
Despite the majority of City Council voting in favor at last Monday’s meeting, some residents said the closure won’t solve the issues, but would rather make the area less accessible.
“The fact that the West Side compared to many, many, many of the neighborhoods in town is walkable and part of that is the stairs,” Gail Bellamy, West Side resident said.
At-large councilman Joe Solomon expressed similar sentiments.
“I mean this staircase is a West Side marvel. It’s one of the best parts of Charleston. It helps us come together,” Solomon said.
According to city officials, the property will be transferred to Lacy’s ownership per the passage of the bill. The stairs will also eventually be torn down; however, there’s no set timeline for that yet.