VILLA PARK : Horse Trail Plan Will Be Discussed

Dozens of residents vehemently opposed to the installation of a horse trail near their homes are expected to attend tonight’s City Council meeting to protest the proposal, city officials said.

A council advisory committee proposed the path, on the south side of Santiago Boulevard from Sycamore to Lemon streets, which would overlay an existing unmarked bike path there. Allowing horse riders to use the path would link the city with 250 miles of county trails, said Jim Brodsky, co-chairman of the committee.

But resident Pam Dunn, who is spearheading the opposition, called the proposed bridle path unnecessary and “potentially unsafe.” She said more than 150 people have signed a petition to block the adoption of the trail.

“It’s very dangerous for horses to be on pavement, and it opens the city up” to potential lawsuits, she said.

Dunn also said the residents oppose linking the city’s bridle paths with the county’s, saying it would increase traffic in the area and cater to a small minority of horse owners and riders.

But Brodsky disagreed, saying “the horse issue is brought up to inflame people. . . . It is not really a a horse issue. Most people who ride horses don’t ride through the center of town” because they want to get away from the city.

He also said the residents’ fears that they may have to tear up their lawns to make room for the trail are unfounded because the city has proposed to put the trail on the pavement.