By ANTHONY BOTTAN
Property owners were given the option to either fix it themselves, or have the village do the repairs, in which case the village would assess the cost of repair on the owner's next tax bill.
"The state standard states that if there is a half-inch lift in the curb or sidewalk, where a trip hazard is created, it needs to be corrected," said Phil Healey, superintendent of the Department of Public Works. "Once corrected, it protects the homeowner from potential liability."
Healey said the majority of properties that have bad curbs or sidewalks, and get added to the list, come to the attention of the village through property title searches. For example, he said, when a property owner refinances their mortgage, the bank asks the village to inspect the property's sidewalk. In addition, any complaints filed about dangerous sidewalks or curbs are taken into account when the list is compiled. Less than 10 percent of the homes on the list for sidewalk or curb repair, Healey said, are added as a result of complaints.
The village bid out the two-year contract and hired the lowest bidder, Castle Industries, to do the work. According to Healey, $120,000 of the village budget will be allocated for the job, and he estimated that about 200 homes with bad curbs or sidewalks will be repaired. "We may not even exceed that budget amount," Healey said. "But historically, that is a safe amount to have in there."
Healey said he hopes the work on the newly added properties will begin this week, and estimated that it will take two to three days to fix each property, depending on the extent of the work.
Fern London-Stern, whose home at 377 Broadway Ave. was one of the newly-added homes that needs sidewalk repair, said she did not know her sidewalk was a problem. She agreed to let the village repair the sidewalk, which she said might have fallen into disrepair because of the weather. However, London-Stern would rather pay the village to fix it than have her property become a danger to residents. "If it's a hazard and someone might get hurt, then I don't mind paying for it," she said.
Andrew Fico, who lives at 3 Maiden Lane and was informed by the village that his home needs sidewalk repair, said he also did not know his sidewalk was a problem, but will have a private contractor come in to fix it. The village estimated the repairs would cost him about $1,600, he said, so he found a contractor to do it for less. "Of course we mind paying for this, it's an extra bill," Fico said. "Our taxes are high and we should split the cost with the village, but what are you going to do?"
If you have any concerns or issues with sidewalks or curbs, contact the Building Department at (516) 599-8828.
Comments about this story? Abottan@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 246.
