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City may assist in sidewalk program
By BRIAN PORTER/Managing Editor
The citizens of Rowlett may soon get a cost participation sidewalk repair program that city council believed was always in place.
The program was discussed Tuesday in the works session of the Rowlett City Council.
“We thought we had a 50-50 plan,” said Al Alberts, mayor pro-tem. “I know we discussed it.”
“There are some areas where it is really dangerous,” Alberts said. “I think this is a good start.”
The program would allow property owners with existing sidewalks adjacent to their property to apply for the program through the Rowlett public works department. Personnel would review the application, inspect the site and provide a written estimate of the repair cost.
“We found that this can actually save residents some money,” Zolnerowich said. “What you’ll have is just a small area residents are looking at. We can actually reduce cost, as the project would cost much more to a homeowner if they tried to contract it themselves. The projects are so small that it is not cost-effective for construction companies.”
In the city of Rowlett proposal, property owners would be required to pay half the cost of the repair prior to work taking place. Payment would be required 30 days following the estimate. Repairs would be made through city of Rowlett contractors. Participation would also be restricted to once in a five-year period.
“Sometimes you will have hardship cases,” Baugh said. “There are times when it becomes a tripping hazard. One of the things we have kicked around is what if the city could help fund it. We have significant amounts of sidewalks in need of help.”
City staff recommended $5,000 to be set aside for participation in the initial year of the program. It is estimated the city’s participation could result in improvement of 10 to 12 areas of sidewalk. An annual city participation of $100,000 could be requested in future years.
A proposal by councilperson David Bryan could result in neighbors splitting costs. He indicated a situation in which two homes have sidewalks in disrepair could potentially be split by both property owners.
“I would like this program to be parameter-based,” said councilman Steve Maggiotto. “Is there a safety issue.”
Maggiotto indicates the priorities for selection of sidewalk repair projects must be based on the level of disrepair projects.
Contact Brian Porter at bporter@acnpapers.com or visit www.scntx.com to comment on this story.
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