It is often said that there are two seasons in Minnesota: winter and road construction. With University Avenue, Riverside Avenue, and I-94 all experiencing work near Seward, it is safe to say construction season is in full swing.
Over the next four months, sidewalk repairs will also occur through many south Minneapolis neighborhoods. Starting on June 4th, sidewalk repairs will start in parts of the Northrop neighborhood, and work up through Standish, Corcoran, and Philips neighborhoods, and finishing in Seward. The tentative finish date is September 28. The area in Seward that is scheduled for repairs is between Hiawatha Avenue on the west and 27th Avenue on the east, and between Lake Street and Interstate-94.
Every public sidewalk in the selected portion of a neighborhood is inspected by Public Works, and each property address is considered a separate job. The property owner is notified by letter that the public sidewalk at their property has been inspected, defects were found, and the owner is being ordered as per City Ordinance Chapter 8, Section 12 and 13 to repair the public sidewalk. Defective curbs and gutters will also be replaced as needed. Each property owner has the option of hiring a private contractor to make the repairs, or utilizing the City Sidewalk Contractor, who has won the contract via a competitive bidding process. If the property owner uses the City Sidewalk Contractor then the property owner has the option of paying for the work upon billing, or having the cost of the work assessed to their property taxes as a special assessment.
Each property owner is provided an estimate of the cost of the work based on the City hired Sidewalk Contractor’s bid prices. If a private contractor was hired, they would provide the their own estimate, and the full cost would be payable upon completion of the work, and would not be assessed. Depending on the cost of the work done by the City Sidewalk Contractor at each property, the special assessment is collected as a one year (up to $150), five year (up to $1500), or ten year (over $1500) assessment.
If you have any questions, they can be directed to Dan Bauer, who is a supervisor at the Public Works Sidewalk Inspections.
