SHARE THIS

Councilman Henry Nodoline made his desires known, during the January Council Meeting, he wants to see residents voluntarily make repairs to sidewalks and curbs they are responsible for maintaining before he pushes harder on the problem.

There is an existing ordinance in West Easton that pertains to the sidewalks and curbs, but it hasn’t been enforced.

The ordinance requires sidewalks and curbs to be repaired when needed and sets criteria for when repairs must be made. A separate ordinance requires sidewalks and curbs to be kept free of weeds and growth.

West Easton has been lax in enforcing the ordinances, understanding that many residents are on fixed incomes, elderly, and that some repairs can be labor intensive and costly in order to have complete compliance that meet the specifications regarding heaving, cracks, and other problems a homeowner may face.

Nobody on Council intends to take measurements of cracks and other minor problems those with sidewalks may have, but some sidewalks and curbs in the borough have extreme conditions of disrepair and walking hazards that need to be corrected. The failure to do so risks the safety of residents who could trip or fall trying navigate these walkways.

Mrs. Kate Ackerman (who I will only say is, “over 70″), who lives on 3rd Street, told me about a section of sidewalk near her home. It caused her a fall, resulting in major bruising to her knees and legs when she walked her dog. Luckily, she didn’t break a hip. She now walks in the street along that section of walkway.

I visited that sidewalk and followed up by having Council President Dan DePaul accompany me on a second visit. It may be the worst sidewalk in the borough and the condition of it makes me believe that it has been a hazard for many years. The curbing is almost non-existent and the sidewalk is a crumbling mess of loose stone and cement. The homeowner should have been cited long ago, in my opinion.

Setting aside the most important issue of safety there is also the fact that Council is taking on the task of repairing and resurfacing streets at great expense after years of neglect. Not maintaining curbs by keeping them free of weeds only exasperates the problem of water seeping under asphalt, which can compromise the streets and reduce the amount of time before they need to be repaired again.

Councilman Henry Nodoline noted that this past year Council improved about 60 percent of the roads that needed attention and plans on taking on the remaining roads that need work, this year. He said another $80,000 will be spent on the projects.

“We’re spending all this money on roads. I think the property owners have the responsibility to patch their curbs. Our roads our 80 percent better than Wilson’s, but when you walk down our streets you see weeds in the gutters and the curbs are falling apart,” said Nodoline.

Henry Nodoline went on to say he doesn’t want to force people to do it, but law is in place and if people don’t voluntarily get it done, they will be forced to, after a grace period following a warning of what will be done legally.

Councilman Henry Nodoline has my support on this issue. If you know your walks and curbs need work please plan to have them repaired or replaced, as soon as weather allows.