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City: Please don’t make us fix sidewalks
A City lawyer has filed an application with a State board to avoid repairing some of the sidewalks cited earler for violations of State codes.
Why is this man walking on Norfolk Street? Because he can't walk on the brick sidewalks. [photo: Kathy Podgers]
Assistant City Solicitor Samuel Aylesworth filed the Applications for Variance and Plans of Compliance on March 7, the deadline set in January by the Architectural Access Board (AAB).
The cases were brought to the AAB by Kathy Podgers, an acivist for Persons With Disabilities who writes for The Bridge. Over the past few years, Podgers has used measurements and photographs to document violations of State access codes and Federal regulations in sidewalk repair work contracted by the City.
Aylesworth’s response to the AAB reiterated the City’s past positions. For some locations the City asserts that compliance with one regulation would violate another. For others the City points to NStar or a private developer as responsible for repairs.
The filing admits that some sidewalk panels should be reconstructed and the City promises to do so. A number of the cited noncompliance problems may be addressed in the contract for reconstruction of Green Street which is now out for bids.
Sidewalk panels affected are located at or near three intersections in Cambridgeport:
- Erie and Brookline Streets: 194, 196, 202, 210, 216, 217, 226 Erie Street; 211 Erie Street (10-20 Corporal McTiernan Street); 84 Magazine Street;
- Green and Hancock Streets: 527 Green Street; 43 Hancock Street
- Pearl and Decatur Streets: 20, 32 Decatur Street; 146-148 Pearl Street