Lexington’s sidewalk repair assistance program has seen a sizeable number of requests over the last several months. The government program for homeowners, landlords, and commercial entities seeking to fix sidewalks currently has a waiting list.
Following the Lexington Council’s Planning Committee meeting Tuesday, Code Enforcement Director Alex Olszowy says he isn’t convinced the program needs much modification. “I don’t think there is a systematic need for a change in the program. It’s had a spike in the last couple of years that’s caused us to run short of funds. But, our history has been we have not exhausted the funds that we’ve put in there before,” says Olszowy.
Olszowy says the waiting list currently contains about $8,000 dollars of repairs to about 40,0000 square feet of sidewalk. He says funds are scheduled to be released next week to help deal with the backlog of requests.
Large street trees can negatively impact sidewalks. “It is a significant culprit. The street trees that have outgrown the grass strips between the curb and the sidewalks, the large species have, where the roots have pushed them up, disheveling them is definitely in the older neighborhoods where the street trees have gotten larger than the planting easement,” says Olszowy.
Olszowy says the initial one-hundred thousand dollars appropriated for this year ran out in October. He says more money was put in the program and more funds will be released next week.
The code enforcement director says funds tend to run low when a majority of citizens in subdivisions make requests at the same time.?
