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Resident questions sidewalk evaluation process as council advances concrete program
Summary
During public comment Catherine Boles asked why sidewalk markings appeared inconsistent in her neighborhood and whether outsourced inspections and emergency assessment language limited residents’ ability to review or appeal; city engineering staff said inspections and markings are performed by city staff using a measurement tool for tripping hazards and owners may meet staff on site to appeal markings.
At the March 24 Lebanon City Council meeting resident Catherine Boles questioned how sidewalk repair needs were identified and why some nearby sidewalks appeared not to have been flagged. Boles said she believed evaluations might have been done by an outside company and asked what measurable standards and oversight guide markings and assessments.
City engineering staff responded that city staff perform sidewalk inspections and make markings, and that the engineering department uses a measurement tool to identify tripping hazards. Staff said cracking and overall condition can include visual judgment; property owners who disagree may request an on‑site review with the inspector. Staff also explained that handicap ramps are a city expense and that the assessment program uses a unit‑price contract: quantities are marked but final charges reflect actual field performance, and property owners retain the option to perform repairs themselves before the contractor is mobilized.
Boles also raised concern over the use of "emergency" language to accelerate the bid process while residents were just receiving notices; staff said emergency language is intended to get repair notices out quickly so owners have time to complete work themselves before contractor mobilization, and that contractors typically mobilize in June or July when asphalt plants reopen.
The city offered to schedule a site meeting between the inspector and Boles to review the neighboring sidewalk she identified.
