A movement to have sidewalks replaced or repaired in Ballston Spa is underfoot.
Two residents approached the village board of trustees Monday night, Aug. 27, with concerns about crumbling or even non-existent sidewalks along Hyde Boulevard, Ralph Street and Chapman Street.
One of the things we love about living in a small village is being able to walk, ride our bikes and pull wagons around our neighborhood, said Lorri Riggs of Chapman Street. `My son is 4, and we can’t ride our bike around the block without riding in the street.`
Riggs said there are new homes built in her neighborhood that have not had sidewalks added by the builders, and that there are also old sidewalks that are broken or overgrown with weeds.
`These issues have come up before, and it’s usually when neighbors come forward and complain,` said Romano. `There is a code that requires people to install sidewalks not less than 4 feet from the street. This should apply to new homes being built as well as people working on landscaping projects.`
Village attorney Rich Kupferman said he recently reviewed village laws on the issues of sidewalk installation and maintenance, and that there may be discrepancies in some of the requirements.
`Some properties are grandfathered in, and it’s not legal for us to require them to install or improve sidewalks,` said Kupferman. `But if people alter their property or dig up their driveway, they have to comply. The planning board has the ability in their discretion to waive this as non-essential. The jurisdiction is really beyond the authority of this board.`
Kupferman also said residential property owners should be aware that dangerous sidewalks could pose potential problems.
`Sidewalks in total disarray are a liability to the homeowner if someone slips and falls,` said Kupferman. `However, I know of no village sidewalks where this or any board has to use laws to force owners to repair them.`
Another resident took issue with new homes being built and not installing sidewalks at all.
`There are sidewalks around the roundabouts in Malta, and they lead nowhere. If we are a strolling village, we need to look at linkages in sidewalks.`
Bushant said his concern was a lack of sidewalks on Ralph Street, forcing his family to walk in the road to reach the village public pool.
Kupferman argued that patrolling sidewalks could bring in issues of overly monitoring private property owners.
`The codes that apply to sidewalks are the same building codes that require homes to be safe, clean and sanitary,` said Kupferman. `What if someone has paint chips on their house you don’t like? How far can paint decay before someone comes in to complain? We can send people a letter their property doesn’t meet safety standards. Beyond that, we become Big Brother.`
On Monday night, the board did patch up some of the issues of improving sidewalks by increasing the reimbursement rate for anyone filling in the cracks in their sidewalks.
Property owners can now receive $2.50 per square foot for sidewalk and curb repairs. The village has given back $90,000 to people over the last 10 years who have taken the effort to upgrade the paths in front of their homes and businesses.
`This is an incentive to fix them up that most people don’t even know about,` said Romano. `Perhaps in the next run of water use invoices we should include a message about the reimbursements. The starting point is more public awareness.` “