Kalispell splits cost of needed sidewalk repairs
With the arrival of summer and temperatures that are prime for pouring concrete, the city of Kalispell is again running its 50/50 sidewalk improvement project.
Kalispell Public Works Department Project Manager Fred Zavodny said people can apply for the program anytime up until about the first week of September. Work occurs all summer long, as the contractor fits it into his schedule.
The project is designed as an affordable way to keep sidewalks within the city limits in top shape, he said. Property owners pay half the cost to replace damaged sidewalks at their home, business, church, school or government building, and the city pays the other half, Zavodny said.
A sidewalk must be damaged to be eligible for the program, he said. Hairline cracks, for example, aren’t deemed adequate damage for repair under the program. If a crack is large enough that a shoe heel could get caught in it, then the sidewalk is probably eligible, Zavodny said. Likewise, if the sidewalk is crumbling, it is eligible.
Most people who call about their sidewalk have a legitimate repair need, Zavodny said.
“It’s a rare day I go out and see a sidewalk that doesn’t qualify,” he said.
Most sidewalk damage is caused by tree roots, Zavodny said. The other two leading culprits in deterioration are age and environmental factors. Generally, once any part of a sidewalk’s surface is damaged, the deterioration spreads, he said.
It’s important for people to realize the program is for public sidewalks, Zavodny said, not private walkways that lead into people’s yards. The program doesn’t pay half the costs for installing new sidewalks in new developments either, he said. However, it does cover the costs for infilling a sidewalk in an area where a sidewalk was built, but stretches never completed.
“It’s designed as a partnership with residents, businesses and the city,” Zavodny said.
In 2002, city officials began the sidewalk program. Only a handful of residents participated that first year, he said, but the program has become more popular over the years.
City officials thought the cost-share program was a good in-between option to the other two choices — the city paying for the entire project or the city requiring the property owner to pay all of the costs for the sidewalk repairs.
“We’d rather work with them on a positive note, not a negative note,” Zavodny said of property owners with damaged sidewalks.
In an average year, 15 to 20 people participate, he said, and typically from 1,000 to 1,500 feet of sidewalk are repaired.
The city public works department hires a contractor, oversees the work and provides engineering and inspection services. The citizen doesn’t have to share in those costs.
Interested property owners should call the city public works department at 758-7720. A city employee will then evaluate the sidewalk to determine if it qualifies for the 50/50 program. If so, the city provides the owner a cost estimate. Once a property owner signs off on the cost and selects a payment option, the city notifies the contractor.
From the time a work order is provided the contractor, the firm has 45 days to finish the work. Usually, the contractor tells the customer the approximate date things will be done, but firm appointments are not scheduled, Zavodny said.
Sandon Construction of Kalispell was awarded the contract to do this year’s work.
Participants have two payment options. They can be billed when the work is finished and directly pay the contractor. Or, an assessment can be added to the property owner’s tax bill for eight years. People choosing the assessment option are charged an additional 5 percent fee to cover the city’s costs of administering the loan.
Zavodny says he gets a sense of community pride from many people who participate in the sidewalk program.
“People want to make Kalispell a better place,” he said. “It’s a great program. It’s nice to get something done cooperatively for the betterment of the community.”
Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com