Rob
02-29-2008, 10:51 AM
Dear San Mateo City Council:
Hey, I have a great idea.
How about the Council giving Fiesta Gardens a break for once and taking a look at the Bermuda Drive Creek Brick Walls. Then they might imagine if they'd stand for such an eyesore in their own neighborhoods.
Of course these walls are the responsibility of the City so what gives? They’ve had cracks, bricks have fallen off, and this has been its condition for *years*. This just might indicate it's not safe either.
Maybe the Council is waiting for a kid to push on one of the walls, it collapse, and both fall into the creek? Maybe then it'll be time to fix them?
Of course we've heard the excuse that San Mateo doesn't want to waste the money on this when that whole Creek Bridge needs to be earthquake-proofed. Granted, that might have been a reasonable thought at one time but after many years of nothing happening and hearing this same story there is still no time-plan to get this project underway.
In all this, I'm sure our Council could no doubt find just a few measly bucks to check out these walls’ current safety and to make them at least look a wee bit better including choosing a paint that doesn’t look like we're located in some desert community. Maybe they could also choose one that wouldn't be so graffiti friendly, for instance say using a dark forest green?
I would assume so, especially the way the Council's and P.C. have been proposing all these other new projects and development plans?
How about it SM City Council, can you first find time to help out Fiesta Gardens and what we already have instead of and apparently constantly trying to make San Mateo or more correctly, Fiesta Gardens’ surrounding areas into some high-rise tax source?
Thank you, Rob, Fiesta Gardens
__________________________________________________ _____________
Council to fix cracks in sidewalk program
By Dana Yates
Hoping to help low-income families tripped up by the high costs of sidewalk repairs, the San Mateo City Council will consider Monday a revised plan that will pay for up to 50 percent of those expenses.
San Mateo has long had a sidewalk repair program that helped pay for up to 50 percent of all sidewalk repairs. However, that problem was discontinued in 2004 due to budget constraints and property owners are required to pay 100 percent of the repair costs. The city recently restructured the way it delivers Community Development Block Grants and will use some of those federal funds to help some people pay for sidewalk repairs. Otherwise, property owners are responsible for 100 percent of repairs unless the damage is caused by a city tree, according to a report issued Thursday.
An ordinance is also being added to the books to require property owners to share the responsibility if someone injures themselves on a sidewalk in front of their home or business, according to the report.
The budget for sidewalk repairs dropped from $500,000 to $150,000. The Department of Public Works is recommending full funding for the program to be reinstated next year, according to the report.
The city currently responds to damaged sidewalks if it receives a complaint. Public Works crews will examine the sidewalk and if the vertical displacement of the crack is larger than 3/4 inch, the city will temporarily fix it with asphalt or tape it off. The city then sends notice to the property owner that it must fix the sidewalk.
It costs approximately $300 to fix one crack in a 4-foot-by-5-foot section of sidewalk, Deputy Director of Public Works Susanna Chan told the Daily Journal last year.
Property owners have, for the most part, fixed the cracks in reasonable time. They can either fix it themselves, pay a contractor or have the city pick a contractor for them, Chan said.
However, there were some concerns about helping lower income residents with repairs. The city is expanding the areas in the city where people qualify for low-income community improvement grants.
Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.
Hey, I have a great idea.
How about the Council giving Fiesta Gardens a break for once and taking a look at the Bermuda Drive Creek Brick Walls. Then they might imagine if they'd stand for such an eyesore in their own neighborhoods.
Of course these walls are the responsibility of the City so what gives? They’ve had cracks, bricks have fallen off, and this has been its condition for *years*. This just might indicate it's not safe either.
Maybe the Council is waiting for a kid to push on one of the walls, it collapse, and both fall into the creek? Maybe then it'll be time to fix them?
Of course we've heard the excuse that San Mateo doesn't want to waste the money on this when that whole Creek Bridge needs to be earthquake-proofed. Granted, that might have been a reasonable thought at one time but after many years of nothing happening and hearing this same story there is still no time-plan to get this project underway.
In all this, I'm sure our Council could no doubt find just a few measly bucks to check out these walls’ current safety and to make them at least look a wee bit better including choosing a paint that doesn’t look like we're located in some desert community. Maybe they could also choose one that wouldn't be so graffiti friendly, for instance say using a dark forest green?
I would assume so, especially the way the Council's and P.C. have been proposing all these other new projects and development plans?
How about it SM City Council, can you first find time to help out Fiesta Gardens and what we already have instead of and apparently constantly trying to make San Mateo or more correctly, Fiesta Gardens’ surrounding areas into some high-rise tax source?
Thank you, Rob, Fiesta Gardens
__________________________________________________ _____________
Council to fix cracks in sidewalk program
By Dana Yates
Hoping to help low-income families tripped up by the high costs of sidewalk repairs, the San Mateo City Council will consider Monday a revised plan that will pay for up to 50 percent of those expenses.
San Mateo has long had a sidewalk repair program that helped pay for up to 50 percent of all sidewalk repairs. However, that problem was discontinued in 2004 due to budget constraints and property owners are required to pay 100 percent of the repair costs. The city recently restructured the way it delivers Community Development Block Grants and will use some of those federal funds to help some people pay for sidewalk repairs. Otherwise, property owners are responsible for 100 percent of repairs unless the damage is caused by a city tree, according to a report issued Thursday.
An ordinance is also being added to the books to require property owners to share the responsibility if someone injures themselves on a sidewalk in front of their home or business, according to the report.
The budget for sidewalk repairs dropped from $500,000 to $150,000. The Department of Public Works is recommending full funding for the program to be reinstated next year, according to the report.
The city currently responds to damaged sidewalks if it receives a complaint. Public Works crews will examine the sidewalk and if the vertical displacement of the crack is larger than 3/4 inch, the city will temporarily fix it with asphalt or tape it off. The city then sends notice to the property owner that it must fix the sidewalk.
It costs approximately $300 to fix one crack in a 4-foot-by-5-foot section of sidewalk, Deputy Director of Public Works Susanna Chan told the Daily Journal last year.
Property owners have, for the most part, fixed the cracks in reasonable time. They can either fix it themselves, pay a contractor or have the city pick a contractor for them, Chan said.
However, there were some concerns about helping lower income residents with repairs. The city is expanding the areas in the city where people qualify for low-income community improvement grants.
Dana Yates can be reached by e-mail: dana@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 106.