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Q&A on sidewalk inspection and repair process
2:10:23
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Council Member Farías inquires about DOT's process for sidewalk inspections and repairs, particularly in response to complaints about cracks. DOT officials explain their comprehensive approach to sidewalk maintenance.
- Inspections are often complaint-driven but cover entire blocks, not just individual properties
- Property owners receive notices to correct, not monetary fines
- DOT coordinates with Parks Department for tree-related sidewalk damage
- The agency can make repairs and backcharge property owners if necessary
Amanda Farías
2:10:23
Just a couple more, we've been seeing a lot of complaints recently coming in that are specifically targeting some of the homeowners for having cracks in their sidewalks.
2:10:35
I'm super familiar with the trees and sidewalks program as a former staffer who used to do this like part time for folks, but oftentimes the constituents are fined with major cracks in the sidewalk or they're in some block way especially around some of the parks.
2:10:53
Can can you folks talk about how the issues that come from three eleven, is this like are you doing this case by case basis because of three eleven complaints or is there is there a larger plan that you have enforcement agents going out trying to, you know, regulate some of the trees and sidewalks or some of the sidewalk replacements that need to happen?
Margaret Forgione
2:11:15
So much of our sidewalk inspection work is done as a result of complaints.
2:11:20
And when we do get a complaint about a specific property, we don't only go to that property.
2:11:24
What we do is we look at all of the properties on both sides of that block.
2:11:29
We don't want to get into a situation where somebody is in a dispute with a neighbor and, calls us about the neighbor, but we're not really looking at things a little bit more holistically.
2:11:38
So what our inspectors will do is examine the whole block, any homeowner or any property owner that has a sidewalk violation will receive a notice to correct.
2:11:48
Now that is not a monetary fine.
2:11:51
They are not receiving a violation that they have to Instead, I guess you're like an expert at this.
Linda Lee
2:11:57
This is great.
2:11:58
This is
Margaret Forgione
2:11:59
a lien on the property, and when the property owner may go to sell the property, they're gonna have a problem doing so.
2:12:05
And further, their insurance company may give them a hard time about insuring that sidewalk if it does need repairs.
2:12:13
So that's generally how it's done.
2:12:15
We also can come in and make repairs and backcharge a property owner if they have failed to fix it on their own.
2:12:22
When we do that, you mentioned trees.
2:12:24
Trees always gets complicated.
2:12:25
Right?
2:12:25
Tree roots, we we love trees.
2:12:27
We love good sidewalks, but tree roots can push up sidewalks.
2:12:31
So in that case if we do repair a property, we do not charge the homeowner for any portions of the sidewalk that were damaged due to the tree roots.
2:12:39
We also coordinate with parks.
2:12:41
They have a pretty extensive program to address tree issues at sidewalks.
2:12:46
So it's a little complex, but if there's ever locations in question we're happy to talk through them.
Amanda Farías
2:12:51
Yeah, think that makes a little bit more sense.
2:12:52
I think typically in the past folks are used to hearing we put the complaint in on one property, one property gets examined, but it sounds like we are now more comprehensively looking at the entire street and block, which makes a lot of sense if repairs are going to happen they can happen more extensively, but that is probably the answer that would be most helpful to my constituents have.