Ortonville- Repairs and replacement of sidewalks in the village will begin soon.
The village council decided at their April 23 meeting to scrap a plan for residents to sign up for sidewalk repairs, in which homeowners would have paid for the concrete for sidewalks needing work adjacent to their homes, while the Department of Public Works provided the labor. That plan was presented at a December council meeting and has been tabled a few times.
‘The sidewalks are atrocious,? said Councilmember Kay Green. ‘We don’t want to say (to residents): ‘We’re starting a program and you pay.? We’ll start out as fresh as possible and just get it done. We haven’t done our jobs.?
Green referred to years of non-maintenance of the sidewalks.
The current budget has about $7,165 available for sidewalk improvements. Village Manager Ed Coy is working on the 2007-2008 budget and says a significant increase will be allotted in it for sidewalks.
‘The council will make all sidewalk repairs,? said Coy. ‘They didn’t think it was fair that they were not kept up as they should have been. Rather than ask property owners to share the cost, the village will pay for repairs with money from the general fund. There is no plan to raise taxes.?
The council will advertise for bids from companies within the next few weeks after inspecting the sidewalks, prioritizing work, and analyzing financial limitations.
Coy said work should begin this summer and will take two years to complete.