Engineering: Sidewalk Improvement Program

In 2010, the Public Works Department completed a survey of sidewalks throughout the City and determined that many sidewalks are in a state of disrepair.  Approximately 500 property owners have sidewalks adjoining their property that are damaged and in need of repair.  The total estimated City-wide cost is about $1.2 million.  The City Engineer has divided the sidewalks into sidewalk segments that correspond to individual property owners that abut the sidewalk, in order to divide the cost accurately between property owners and assess each property appropriately.

Repair and maintenance of sidewalks are the responsibility of the property owner whose property is adjacent to the sidewalk, yet many property owners do not know how to repair the sidewalks for which they are responsible. The City would like to facilitate the repair of sidewalks throughout the City, by way of the Sidewalk Improvement Program (SIP), reasoning that if the City coordinates a sidewalk repair program, the overall cost may be less by hiring one contractor for many sidewalks than if individuals hire many contractors for many sidewalks.  Also, the City will coordinate the hiring and scheduling of the contractor, thereby relieving property owners of those administrative hassles.

Property owners voluntarily sign up to have their sidewalks repaired - at their own cost. The City will front the cost of the contractor, to be repaid by individual property owners who sign up for the program. Once the City awards the work to a contractor, that contractor will give the City a cost per sidewalk segment, and those costs, along with the costs of unforeseen circumstances and interest charges, if applicable, become the assessment to those property owners who signed up.

INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING?  Call the Engineering Office at 503.992.3228 to find out more on when the next phase of construction will start.

Project Update

Click here for an update on the Sidewalk Improvement Program.

For additional information on this Program, click here, or to view a map of the sidewalk survey, click here. 

Note:  Property owners are responsible for repair and maintenance of adjacent sidewalks, either through the Sidewalk Improvement Program, or by City Ordinance 3.105-3.155.  

CPAWC SIP Presentation