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PUBLIC WORKS City agrees to pay $200,000 for sidewalk repairs Business owner says that's far too expensive Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Jul. 9, 2016 at 12:33 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Jul. 9, 2016 at 12:33 PM » Social News Sidewalks that are sinking and heaving along Central Avenue in downtown Medford will be fixed by the city at an estimated cost of $200,000, the City Council decided Thursday. But at least one business owner says the city shouldn't be spending nearly that much to take on a problem that isn't that difficult to fix. The city, which typically requires adjacent property owners to pay for repairs, has conceded the sidewalks were not installed correctly and root barriers were not placed around some trees when the Medford Urban Renewal Agency paid $900,000 for them 12 years ago. “I think we’re cleaning up MURA’s mess,” Councilor Dick Gordon said. Councilor Daniel Bunn said he would vote “no” for the repairs because there was no sharing of the expense repairs by property owners. Bunn was joined by councilors Kevin Stine and Michael Zarosinski in voting no. Cory Crebbin, Medford Public Works director, said the $200,000 would pay to repair 57 tree grates located from Fifth to Ninth streets along Central Avenue. The metal grates would be permanently removed from the tree wells. The old pavers would be reinstalled once the ground was leveled, he said. Crebbin said the property owners adjacent to the uneven sidewalks will have to sign an agreement with the city that any future problems associated with the sidewalks will be paid for by the property owners. In February, the council received complaints from businesses along Central Avenue about the uneven sidewalks. Caution tape was placed around some tree wells to alert pedestrians around Rogue Community College. Uneven sidewalks that have more than a half-inch displacement also might not meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards. MURA installed 2-by-2-foot pavers in the areas that are failing. Other sidewalks in the downtown have solid concrete that is scored in 2-foot squares to get the same effect. While MURA installed the sidewalks, the use of pavers and the choice of trees were approved by the city. Businesses next to the sidewalks previously had been told by the city that it was their responsibility to repair the sidewalks. Jack Schmidt, owner of Precision Electric near downtown Medford, said he was sorry to hear that the city will remove the metal grates from the tree wells because he thinks they add a nice touch to the downtown. He also said there is a relatively simple fix that wouldn't require the grates to be removed. “I was trying to avoid that from happening,” he said. “That’s a terrible idea.” Schmidt undertook a pilot project without charging the city to level the pavers at a tree well near Ninth Street close to Paisan’s Pizzeria and Bistro. He said it took a crew of four to pull the pavers out and level the ground before putting the pavers back in, a task that took about four hours. Schmidt said the roots of the trees were more than a foot from the top of the soil, so it wasn’t a big deal to fix the problem. The problem with the sidewalks was caused by a failure to install barriers that force the roots to go deeper. Schmidt said his crew didn’t have to cut the roots to level the ground. Since the trees are now mature, Schmidt said he didn’t think they would cause any further problems for the sidewalks. He said he thinks there’s only about 14 trees that have pavers that are causing problems, estimating it might cost around $3,000 per tree to fix. Schmidt learned about the sidewalk problem earlier this year, and he said he decided to see for himself if it would be an expensive issue to fix. When he learned the city will spend $200,000 for the repairs, Schmidt said jokingly, “I’ll take that.” He said he thought the repairs could be done for far less. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on www.twitter.com/reporterdm . By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Jul. 9, 2016 at 12:33 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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