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Committee recommends $16,191 contract to repair two sidewalk segments, amid liability questions
Summary
The Purchasing Committee voted to recommend a $16,191.72 piggyback contract with Hartford Paving to repair two deteriorated sidewalk segments; members asked whether fixing state-owned sidewalks could create liability, and staff said current state policy treats towns as responsible for sidewalks on state roads.
The Purchasing Committee recommended awarding a $16,191.72 contract to piggyback on the city of Newport’s concrete-paving contract to repair two short sidewalk segments that staff described as unsafe and inaccessible.
The chair identified the vendor as Hartford Paving and said the town would use Newport’s contract terms to avoid a separate bid. A staff member described the first area as a “deplorable and unsafe” stretch of sidewalk on Smithfield Avenue near Millville used by people walking to Sillsville Elementary and the second as a deteriorated section on Seapah Lane near a resident with mobility issues.
The chair asked the solicitor whether repairing sidewalks that the town thinks are the state’s responsibility could create a legal precedent. A staff member responding for legal counsel said, in short, that current state policy places responsibility for sidewalks on cities and towns: “the the policy has been that the the cities and towns are responsible for the sidewalks on the state roads,” the staff member said, and that the administrator is working with the state delegation to seek changes.
A committee member moved to recommend awarding the work to Hartford Paving for $16,191.72; the committee voted in favor. The recommendation will be forwarded to the town council for final approval.
Funding is not explicitly itemized in the transcript; procurement will proceed as a council-level contract award if approved.
