Trip-hazard Middletown bricks won’t likely be replaced this year

Ed Richter

Mike Rutledge

Staff Writer

11:40 a.m. Monday, March 6, 2017  Middletown

 

MIDDLETOWN

The city of Middletown’s insurers have been asking city leaders for about a decade to replace pavers at the building that houses offices of city government and the city’s school district.

The loose pavers, according to the city’s insurance carrier, pose a safety hazard.

City Manager Doug Adkins said the hexagon-shaped bricks could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to replace.

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In an email Monday to this news outlet, Adkins said there was “no definite timeline on fixing the problem.”

“My best guess is that the first step would be a design phase, break the project into repair pieces we can afford to make each year, and spread the project over several years,” he wrote.

Public Works Director Scott Tadych said options are still being evaluated.

The starting cost to fix what is just around the building, not including the plaza area, is about $750,000, according to Tadych.

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Due to the cost of replacing the pavers, the city’s insurance carrier does not expect Middletown to replace all of them immediately, but does expect the city to formulate a plan to fix them over time, Finance Director Jacob Burton said.

“There is no penalty or higher rates due to the pavers at this time,” Burton said. “We had 2 claims related to the pavers in 2013, 0 claims in 2014, 2 claims in 2015, and 0 claims in 2016.”

Cost of replacing the pavers is small compared to the needs for street paving, Adkins told council members in 2015, placing a price tag on street paving at about $162 million.

How could Public Works Director, Tadych and City Director, Adkins have arrived at an exorbitant, inflated $750,000 estimated cost for the fix of our “paver problem”? Possible cost breakdown: 1). $747,500 administrative cost, 2). $500.00 for removing pavers, 3). $2,000 for stamped pattern, colored concrete.

What if they used public works labor to remove then properly reinstall them? Boy, it might take some research and common sense thought on how to install pavers properly, such as seen on PBS programs, This old House, etc. For example, the cost of perhaps, a bed of sand and some equipment (shovels and tamps and/or some rented heavy equipment) with our public works labor looks like an inexpensive solution. This could be done gradually, a section at a time. Public Works employees would have some constructive work to do! (What have they been doing recently? No snow removal, salting or mowing which are all mostly farmed out at tax payer expense anyway.)

The insurance company has been trying for ten years to get this resolved after having to pay several claims for injury due to the paver hazard. Maybe the insurance won’t cover the next claim and law suit since the city has been repeatedly warned. Who’s responsibility will it be then, Mr Adkins? And the property owners are now being forced to pay for concrete repair, replacement and installation of new sidewalks in front of their property to remove possible hazards. But the city can’t be responsible for it's own “front yard” hazards.

VietVet

You have taken note of the short list of properties which were singled out due to "complaints" against them for defects (hazards) only. The longer list of 300+ properties had to do with an additional city ordinance forcing concrete repairs by the property owner to made previous to the city repairing their streets.

Find your info on the website CityofMiddletown.org and go to the workbook for today. Yes the property owners receive their nastigram AFTER council has voted to apply the abuse.