Brick streets are one of the city's many assets

To the Editor:

I am worried about one of the opinions expressed by Mary Dunbar in her article "Cleveland Heights road repairs" [Heights Observer, April 1]. Ms. Dunbar wrote, "Though charming, Cleveland Heights's few remaining brick roads can be cost prohibitive to maintain. Covering them with asphalt improves driving safety and makes repairs affordable."

This seems to me to be a curious statement from a member of Cleveland Heights City Council. Cleveland Heights is blessed with many charming homes, commercial buildings and parks. If we only consider cost, I guess it is true that all of our charming assets could be replaced with alternatives that would make them less "cost prohibitive to maintain," but then Cleveland Heights would be just another suburban clone community.

I live in a house that is almost one hundred years old on one of our "few remaining brick roads." I have no intention of modernizing my charming leaded glass windows or replacing my wood siding with aluminum. I am more than willing to pay a bit more to live in an old house that is not completely cost effective. It would be a loss to our city if Exeter Road—or any of our other beautiful, historic brick streets—became one more road covered with asphalt.