By Jim Sack
So, I am the neighborhood president. I take my job seriously and am trying to improve the area. Sidewalks are the issue of the moment here.
When I inherited the job a sidewalk renewal project was already underway to redo a few hundred linear feet of sidewalks along my street, Rudisill Boulevard. The previous president had carried petitions throughout the neighborhood and had gotten precious few signatures. It took her many hours of knocking on doors, coming back later and then explaining the process…to each neighbor. “Can you come back tomorrow and explain this to my husband?” Even with an affirmative nod she often had to come back another day to collect the completed forms and then deliver them to the city. Whew. Hours of work.
I finished the process, which took many additional hours of follow up.
Then the guy next to me, with gravel for sidewalks, opted out almost as the concrete was being poured. The two worst sidewalks on the block between Beaver and Foster Park didn’t even bother to sign. To the east, in the four hundred block, most of the owners are landlords, some of whom living in sunny places long, long walks away, places where people speak with quaint accents.
In other words, to bring sidewalks up to standards it will require many more hours of slogging, door-to-door, calling absentee landlords, mailing petitions and waiting in vain for them to return. I don’t have that sort of time. Few people do.
Beside all that, you can bet that most of the landlords will not bother to return my call, let alone sign. Why should they? Really, beside the limited applause and small feeling of warmth inside their little hearts there is no reason. Good citizen? Hmmm. There is no reason for a landlord to make the repairs, frankly, because you, my friend, will pay for their sidewalk. You. Your tax dollars. You will subsidize landlords on West Rudisill and every other street in Fort Wayne.
It should not be that way. There is a law that requires property owners to maintain their sidewalks, and it sports fines, but the city chooses not to bother compelling landlords or recalcitrant home owners to comply with the law. As Tim Pape told me, “we’ve had great experience with whole blocks and even whole streets signing the agreement to cost participate.” Oh, Moose poo. There are many, many more blocks where grass grows in the place of sidewalks, where blocks heave into the air, where it would certainly be dangerous for an older person to walk.
Tim suggests that I go out and try to get signatures. Perhaps he has the time. I don’t. I tell him that I can get a few feet here and few feet there, but in between those new patches of sidewalk there will still be 50 foot stretches where squares heave and grass grows. Landlords, to be sure, won’t bother. A few good citizen home owners will not bother. Why should they?
Tim tells me to sell it to my neighbors. Okay, I’ll tell them the truth: “wait for the city and let others pay the cost.”
Being a landlord, one who has petitioned for sidewalks and curbs for my properties, I understand the prevailing mind set. Profit goes down when you spend money on a property. You can see the rentals in a neighborhood. They are usually the least well maintained and stand out. Same thing with their sidewalks. But Tim says: “We’ve had great experience with whole blocks and even whole streets signing the agreement to cost participate.” Oh, Gerbil sweat.
I just decided not to bother. I will let my neighborhood deteriorate just like East Rudisill and wait for you, my fellow taxpayers, to pay for our sidewalks.
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Jim:
Nothing says “community” QUITE like that…does it?
I also “live the adventure”, my friend.
Damn good post that explains SO very much.
Thank you.
Thanks, Bob. It is just so frustrating to try to do the right thing and then find out that our city government would rather support doing the wrong thing. I spoke with Bobby Kennedy, Ken Nicolet, Rick Orr (Right of Way) and Betsy Keisler (Neighborhood Code) and all gave me about the same answer: we don’t cite people for their dead sidewalks. They do cite people for pealing paint, for tuck pointing problems, for steps and roofs and other things, just not public sidewalks. Seems strange.
Great post!!! I live in the area and avoid walking, running and biking on W Rudisill because of the terrible sidewalks in front of many of the houses as well as bushes and trees that get in the way. I wish that homeowners would take responsbility for what is theirs to take care of! I grew up in a suburb of Chicago and homeowners were simply not allowed to let their properties deteriorate – the city, homeowner’s association or township would be all over them. I wish Ft Wayne better understood that if you allow one neighbor to let their home go then slowly the neighborhood follows.
Jim-
We just had our sidewalks replaced on both sides of W. Foster Pkw. down to Old Mill Rd. My perception was that as long as a certain percentage of homeowners signed up, everyone on the block would get new sidewalks whether they liked it or not and would be assessed for it whether they liked it or not.
Maybe you just need to go to charm school, Jim.
Evert
Evert, you are right on both counts. The city tells me that if 60 percent sign the petitions they will go ahead. (Fifty-one percent is the actual requirement, but they fear some will bail, so they want you to start at 60%.) That is nearly impossible when the question concerns a majority of landlords. In your swank neighborhood, where all of the neighbors do the right thing, it is possible, perhaps probable to get the petition fulfilled. And, yes, then the others are compelled to go along for the ride. So, theoretically, you can get people who do not need new sidewalks to sign in order to round up 60 percent so that the ones who are recalcitrant will be compelled. I have thought about trying that. As for your other point, yes, I sorely need a scholarship to charm school, or I could just emulate your wife.
Well, I chatted with the director of Neighborhood Code and she clearly got the point but informed me that they do not enabling legislation. She pondered whether the Board of Works is the responsible party. Bobby Kennedy, who runs the BOW, talked with me about this, but did not seem focused on our chat, or seem enthusiastic about the possibility of adding work to his portfolio.
I say, let’s get Marty Bender to enforce it. Have him walk the streets and write tickets to the offenders, then haul them into court when they don’t pay.
look at the bright side, i live in a good neighborhood out ne, we have been in the city 20+ years. We have no sidewalk and a chip and seal road (one step better then gravel). But we and spend 2 mil to take a lane out of anthony blvd.
Only in fort wayne.
You are right, I have been in countries that would kill, and do, for the freedoms and prosperity, that we have. Our poor folk complain that their microwaves don\’t quite work right. They should be thankful they are here, not Somolia. But, we could do better and be better stewards of our funds Karen Goldner, I guess, is your council member and you should give her your two cents worth, your piece of your mind, whenever you feel the urge. This is, after all, your country, your city and your money in the form of taxes you have voted to have her invest to your advantage. These are our employees, and they should be treated as such, but we have given them extra ordinary powers to act on our behalf and without your insistence upon excellence and good stewardship they will waste your money.
There are parts of town where they forgo sidewalks altogether. A bad sidewalk is better than no sidewalk.