photo by: Rochelle Valverde

A person walks down the sidewalk on 14th Street on Feb. 3, 2022. The section of sidewalk pictured is part of the city's 2021 sidewalk improvement program.

City leaders are asking Lawrence residents to weigh in on whether changes should be made to the city’s sidewalk repair program.

The program requires certain property owners to pay part of the costs to make repairs, and has been controversial with some residents, who say the city should treat sidewalks like other infrastructure and take full financial responsibility. The format of the current program has so far resulted in the city paying about 70% of repair costs, with the remainder being paid by property owners.

City commissioners said in April that they were open to reconsidering the program and agreed to put out a survey to collect input from residents about the program’s format and funding and whether they would like to see any changes.

As part of the current sidewalk repair program, which began in 2019, the city inspects specific sidewalks within a certain area each year to identify tripping hazards. The city conducts an analysis to select sidewalks for inspection and repair based on pedestrian routes that prioritize destinations such as schools, parks and retail. Unless property owners arrange to make their own repairs, a city contractor will complete the repairs, and lower-income homeowners and those with more than one adjacent sidewalk, such as corner lots, can apply for financial assistance from the city.

Engineering Program Manager Jake Baldwin previously explained to the commission that even if property owners don’t qualify for financial assistance, they pay only for the concrete and installation costs, with the city paying for other project-related costs such as removals, grading and contractor mobilization. The city is also financially responsible for damage that is the result of city street trees and city infrastructure, such as manholes.

For those property owners who opt to use the city contractor, the cost per square foot of concrete was $7 in 2019, $6.05 in 2020 and $5.85 in 2021, according to the city website. Using the average cost per square foot over the past three years, or $6.30 per square foot, it would cost about $100 to replace one sidewalk panel that was 4 by 4 feet, the minimum size currently in use in the city. If property owners do not pay the cost of the repairs immediately, the amount will be added to their property tax bill under a five-year payback period with 4% interest.

According to information provided to the commission, about $2.02 million in sidewalk repairs have been made in the first three years of the program. Property owners who opted to use the city contractor, rather than making or arranging repairs themselves, have paid $612,000 toward those repairs, with the city paying the remainder, or about 70%. As the Journal-World reported, close to a quarter of the blocks inspected as part of 2021 program were in such poor condition that the city decided they needed to be completely replaced rather than repaired, and those sidewalks will not be addressed or funded through the repair program.

The city has 422 miles of existing sidewalks and trails, 30% of which have been inspected during the first three years of the program, according to a city news release. The city estimates that the cost to repair the remaining miles of sidewalk that can be repaired is $12.4 million. That amount does not include the blocks that require full replacement. For instance, the city previously estimated that the blocks that were identified for replacement as part of the 2021 program would cost an additional $6 million to $13 million.

Of the sidewalks that do fall under the repair program, only owner-occupied residential properties with two or fewer units can qualify for city financial assistance. Households must make below 80% of the area median family income, which for this year is $52,950 for an individual; $60,500 for a family of two; $68,050 for a family of three; and $75,600 for a family of four, according to the city’s financial assistance application. Homeowners with corner lots with multiple adjacent sidewalks can qualify for a 50% cost-share regardless of income.

The survey is available on the city’s Lawrence Listens website until midnight on Oct. 31. The survey consists of five specific questions about the repair program, one question allowing respondents to share any additional comments about sidewalk repair and its funding, and three demographic questions, including whether the respondent owns or rents a home with a sidewalk. The five questions, which each have multiple potential responses that can be selected, are as follows:

• Have you noticed improvements in sidewalk conditions since the Sidewalk Improvement Program began in 2019?

• How satisfied are you with the Sidewalk Improvement Program?

• Have you participated in the Sidewalk Improvement Program?

• On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest) how much do you support using the following options to fund sidewalk repairs? Options: 100% city funded using existing resources (requires cuts to other city programs/projects); new property tax; new sales tax; benefit improvement district (property owner assessment by project area); cost partnering between property owners with abutting/adjacent sidewalks and the city (existing program).

• Current funding levels indicate it will take an additional eight years to complete sidewalk repairs as part of the Sidewalk Improvement Program. Do you think spending on sidewalk repairs should: increase to speed up the repairs; stay about the same; decrease to lengthen the time it takes to do the repairs.