The sidewalk at 129 W. Main St. is among those that have been painted to reduce the trip hazard. (Photo by Casey Parker-Bell) |
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media
Several sidewalks in Midway are in serious disrepair and can be a tripping hazard. The city's sidewalk policy, which has been a controversial
topic for a long time, was brought up with a new perspective at Monday’s city
council meeting.
“If you can’t afford to pay for sidewalk repairs how do you think you can afford to pay the fine,” Vandergrift asked, “That’s absurd.”
Last fall, Vandegrift appointed a committee of council members -- Bruce Southworth, Kaye Nita Gallagher and Steven Craig -- to address the
city’s sidewalk concerns and draft a plan for improvement.
Southworth, the committee's chair, said it has "been going back and forth" and not met recently, and it would be good to get the whole council involved. City
officials have discussed the possibility of sharing sidewalk repair costs with
property owners.
Southworth brought something to the council’s attention on
Monday evening that he said had not been discussed, the possibility of the city
covering the full cost of sidewalk repairs.
Southworth said city money could be used to build new sidewalks on blocks that don’t have them.
Council Member Dan Roller said that although the city wants to help residents, sidewalks are for public use, not just for private homeowners. He proposed adding the sidewalk repair costs into a monthly payment for homeowners.
Vandegrift noted, “In the past we had a policy where the city would work with
the owner to cover up to $500 worth of repairs.” On projects costing less than
$500, the city would also assist in covering a portion, while leaving the rest
to the property owner.
And, if the owner did not work with the city to repair the
sidewalk by an assigned date, the city would reserve the right to go in and
complete the job. The owner would be billed for the work, and if they did not
pay that bill, a lien could be placed on the property.
“I think that would be both a fair and easy to execute
policy,” Vandegrift said. He said the policy was actually piloted two years ago, before he became mayor, and only one person took advantage of it.
Council Member Libby Warfield noted, “Some sidewalks go the length of a resident’s entire
property, and $500 isn’t even going to begin to cover those repairs.”
Council Member Sara Hicks also suggested the city apply for a grant for sidewalk repair, because the sidewalk issues affect mobility, health and school transportation.
Vandegrift has said he would like a new policy to be put in place by the start of the next fiscal year, since council budget workshops begin soon and he would like to propose $25,000 for sidewalk repairs.
Southworth suggested that the city should begin fixing the most severe walkways with this money, and go forward from there.
The sooner the better, some might say, as the city’s faulty sidewalks have also raised safety concerns. “We’ve got some major sidewalk concerns to fix downtown, or else someone is going to get hurt,” Vandegrift said.
The raises and dips in the city’s sidewalks create a
tripping hazard for those walking, and in a community where traveling via foot
is popular, this poses a problem. The city has painted some of the hazards to make them more visible, but it is not a long-term solution, Vandergrift said. Although sidewalks are a resident’s responsibility, the city can be held liable if someone hurts themselves because of problems with the pathways.
Vandergrift asked for the council to consider the options discussed, and said sidewalks will be on the next council meeting agenda.
The council will have a special meeting at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 13 to begin discussing Vandegrift's proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
The council will have a special meeting at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 13 to begin discussing Vandegrift's proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Cemetery property: Hicks said in January that the city made a priority list of
things that needed to be done, and one of the top priorities was deciding what
to do with the house in the city’s cemetery.
The city originally planned to demolish the house,
but Hicks suggested giving it away to someone who could prove capable of moving the structure.
The individual who decided to take the house would be
responsible for the costs associated with having the structure inspected and
deciding if it was stable enough for relocation.
Another suggestion was that the property be used as a live
burn for the fire department. There are a number of avenues that the city would
have to go through legally to make that happen, but the council agreed that it
would be a great training exercise for the fire department.
“But, there are also concerns as to how close that house is
located to the city’s storage facility,” Vandegrift said.
Cleanup day April 22: A representative from Bluegrass Greensource discussed the
Main Street Clean Sweep event set for Midway on Friday, April 22, from
noon until 4 p.m. on East Main Street.
Community members can meet to pick up and dispose of litter throughout the city. Participants are provided with bags, gloves and shirts for the event. The price of the materials will be $250, and Midway will be invoiced for the cost. Specifically, the trash clean-up will focus on areas around waterways.
Community members can meet to pick up and dispose of litter throughout the city. Participants are provided with bags, gloves and shirts for the event. The price of the materials will be $250, and Midway will be invoiced for the cost. Specifically, the trash clean-up will focus on areas around waterways.
“We try to focus on a certain day to get people out and
aware, but any way that we can help to pick up litter in the area is going to
be really important to us,” Bluegrass Greensource representative Ashley Bryant
Cheney said.
Memorial Day services: With Memorial Day approaching, Craig suggested that it was time to begin thinking about holiday services. He said they are still looking for a speaker but have gotten a head start on planning by ordering tents and chairs.
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