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Public works cites large maintenance backlogs: sidewalks, paths and parking lots underfunded
Summary
Public Works Director Bill Ferino told the Finance Committee the city faces a $500,000 backlog for curb ramps, underfunding on shared‑use paths (nearly $500,000 backlog with just $60,000 in next year’s budget vs $150,000 ideal) and annual public‑parking maintenance needs of about $350,000, leaving many assets below service levels.
Public Works Director Bill Ferino told the Finance Committee that non‑roadway infrastructure is underfunded across sidewalks, shared‑use paths and public parking lots. He said the city now bears primary responsibility for about 90% of sidewalk repairs, and proposed $200,000 for sidewalk and ramp repairs next year while noting a roughly $500,000 backlog on ramps created in part during the COVID period.
"On the ramp side, though, we still have a significant backlog...we still have a $500,000 backlog and just ramps," Ferino said, and added that new accessibility standards (tripping hazard limits of 0.25 inch) have increased replacement needs. He estimated the shared‑use path inventory at just over 21 miles with nearly $500,000 in needed work and said the CIP budgets $60,000 next year against an ideal annualized need of $150,000.
Ferino also said the city manages 36 public parking lots and that annualized maintenance to keep them in good condition would be about $350,000; the Franklin Street lot alone was called out as requiring more than $100,000 to repair. He said staff plan to prioritize metered lots that generate funding but that substantial work will require general fund allocations or alternative funding sources.
