Several LaSalle residents are not happy with council over a pair of alleyway closures.
LaSalle will be closing and selling land in alleyways between Edgemore Ave. and Suzanne St.
The town has given homeowners the option to purchase the land behind their house or have the town fence off the land. Several residents told council they thought they owned the land.
LaSalle Mayor Ken Antaya says residents were made aware of the closures well in advance due to safety concerns.
"The Town was being questioned as to its process and generally the process is when someone requests an alley closing we proceed with it and the property owners in the area generally go along with it," says Antaya. "In this case they did not and we did not have a conflict but definitely some disagreements here."
Antaya says the town regularly sells municipal alleyway property to avoid potential lawsuits.
"When we have property that is fenced into someone's private back yard and something incurs on that property we become liable. As soon as property owners know the municipality is involved you know who is going to be named in a lawsuit and we are trying to protect the interest of the community," says Antaya.
The closure will affect nearly 37 homes in the area.
If residents do not buy the land, the town will section it off with fences and remove anything on the land. Residents can purchase the land based on the size of their lots. Prices can range from close to $700 to $900.