Scottsburg board approves temporary North First Street sidewalk closure to allow water-line repair

The Scottsburg Board of Public Works and Safety approved a temporary closure of a section of sidewalk on North First Street to permit a property owner’s access for water-line repair, board members said.

Kevin (surname not specified), the property owner near the affected section, told the board he has a small leak he estimates at about "a gallon per hour" and asked to coordinate the repair with a contractor who will be replacing a adjacent sidewalk section. "We got a small water leak there about a gallon per hour," Kevin said.

Board members and staff discussed a roughly 20-foot section with trip hazards and agreed it would be more efficient to coordinate the water-line work with the contractor scheduled to remove and pour the sidewalk rather than tearing out the same concrete twice. Staff said the contractor had stopped work at the site after the property owner raised the issue and that the city had previously encumbered sidewalk repair funds.

The board motion to allow a temporary sidewalk closure until repairs are completed was made and seconded; members approved the closure by voice vote. The board directed staff to coordinate a meeting between the property owner and the contractor to schedule the combined work and to ensure appropriate barricades and closures during repair.

Board members noted the pipe appears old and galvanized and said the owner and staff will confirm whether both neighboring building drains need to be altered as part of the work. The board did not specify an exact start date for repairs during the meeting.