DeSoto stretch of sidewalk is now safer

by Daphne Brown of DeSoto TODAY

The lack of sidewalks were a safety concern for senior citizens living in DeSoto apartments along a stretch of road on Bolton Boone Drive.

A handful of years ago, DeSoto resident Lois Peterson began requesting the city make it a priority to lay concrete between the 2400 and 2600 blocks of the street.

“I went to a council meeting to ask that they put money in the budget for the little old ladies who walked along that road,” Peterson said. “The road was too narrow for anyone to safely walk along but it also wasn't a part of the city's walking trail plan.”

Peterson said she approached the city's previous mayor about making the project a priority, but funds weren't made available.

“I approached this mayor (Bobby Waddle) about the same thing and he knew right where I was talking about,” she said. “He said he passed by the area a lot.”

Waddle told Peterson that the city would have to work with Dallas to complete the project because some of the property has a Dallas address. Discussions between the two cities took longer than Peterson thought it should have. Overall, the project took about seven years to receive funding, she said.

“The mayor stood by what he believed in, and the next thing I know, the sidewalk was there,” she said. “He stood by what he believed in, and I am grateful.”

Peterson said although she is among the oldest residents in her complex, she also is very active.

“I just felt there was something that needed to be done,” she said. Peterson said the sidewalk has enhanced the property and boosted the residents' morale.

“What a blessing, to see a need and get it done,” she said.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was recently organized. Peterson, Waddle and DeSoto City Councilman Carl Sherman attended.

“This wasn't about me trying to do something but what I could do to help others,” she said. “People need to know that something can be done,” she said.

Peterson has made DeSoto her home for seven years and has made volunteer work a part of her life. She worked for five years as a Baylor hospital volunteer and has sown quilts for the homeless and lap covers for the elderly, among other projects.