City officials have scheduled a meeting with residents concerned about safety and noise issues in connection with the widening of Laurel Road.

The meeting will be held in the Community Center, 204 Second St., at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 2.

"I'm hoping for a good turnout," said Mike Matamoros, one of approximately a dozen residents who have hired an attorney to represent them in their dealings with the city.

"We need to listen to what the city has to say," Matamoros added. "And we need people to be there to voice their opinions and concerns how about how the widening will impact us."

By early 2008, Laurel Road will be widened all the way from O'Hara Avenue to the Highway 4 Bypass and become the main east-west corridor through the city. That's what worries residents. At the meeting they will discuss with city staff such issues as noise impacts, street lighting, crosswalks, speed bumps, traffic control, underground utilities and setbacks.