Mentor Rolling Out Sidewalk Maintenance Program This Spring

Mentor City Manager Kenneth Filipiak laid out the city's new sidewalk maintenance program for City Council during a work session Tuesday at .

Mentor will start an annual program this spring in which it will inspect the sidewalks in specific neighborhoods. If sidewalk slabs need repairs in those neighborhoods, the city will contact the appropriate property owners to tell them.

Then the property owners can either have the slabs repaired or replaced themselves or reimburse the the city of Mentor for hiring a contractor that will fix it.

Mentor's administration has divided the city into 17 zones. This year, the engineering department will inspect the B section of the city's second ward for sidewalks that need repairs. (A map of Zone 2B is attached to this story.)

Then the engineering department will inspect different sections of the city in following years, alternating wards.

According to the city code, property owners are responsible for sidewalk repairs.

However, the city of Mentor, as opposed to the property owner, will pay for sidewalk repairs in two cases. Specifically, the city will pay for fixing ramps coming up from intersections and for damaged slabs that are directly adjacent to street trees, Filipiak said.

Council Member Janet Dowling asked what types of damage would require repairs.

City Engineer David Swiger said usually when a slap deviated three-fourths of an inch from those around it, that means repairs are needed. Other problems like asphalt overlays and holes also will need to be fixed, Swiger added.

Dowling also asked if it would be cheaper or more expensive for a resident to hire a contractor themselves or reimburse the city after its hired someone to repair the damaged sidewalk.

Filipiak said that it would be more expensive to repay the city.

The city manager also said residents could repair the sidewalks themselves but, as of now, they would need to get a permit first. However, he added, that the city might waive permits for sidewalk repairs.

Filipiak provided a time line for the 2012 sidewalk maintenance program during the work session:

• From May 1 to 8, the engineering department would inspect the sidewalks in Zone 2B and mark the sidewalks that need repair.
• On May 29, the city would host a homeowners meeting for all the residents that have sidewalks that need repairs. During the meeting, the city would explain what is required of them.
• At its June 5 meeting, City Council would pass a resolution saying that the homeowners have 45 days to fix their sidewalks or they will have to repay the city.
• From July 23 to 31, the city would reinspect neighborhoods to see if the necessary repairs were done.
• If not, the city contractor will compete sidewalk repairs from August to October.

The program will then be repeated in different zones of the city in subsequent years.

"It's really about the commitment this city makes to maintaining its neighborhoods," Filipiak said "It's much easier to maintain a neighborhood then it is to recover it."

Before this program, the city's sidewalk repairs were complaint driven. In other words, it was piecemeal program and the city only required sidewalk repairs after somebody made a complaint, Filipiak said.