Pennington officials offer incentives to fix sidewalks

Borough will waive for a one-year period, beginning Sept. 19, permit fees for sidewalk repairs.

By John Tredrea, Staff Writer
   PENNINGTON — Pennington Borough Council has adopted an ordinance giving a direct financial incentive to property owners who get their sidewalks fixed.
   The borough also is working on a companion program aimed at helping those who fix their sidewalks to get a lower rate.
   Under the ordinance, OK’d by council Monday night, the borough will waive for a one-year period, beginning Sept. 19, permit fees for sidewalk repairs. The fees are $50 for 3 square yards or less of repair work and $100 for more than 3 square yards.
   According to Councilman Joseph Lawver, who chairs council’s Public Works Committee, the borough plans to contact the owners of the 35 worst sidewalks in town. The goal will be to persuade those owners to fix their sidewalks and to help them do so as cheaply as possible. One way would be to have groups of two or more homeowners hire a sidewalk contractor together, thereby getting a lower rate than they might get if each contracted for the work on an individual basis.
   In Pennington, like all New Jersey municipalities, a public-right-of-way sidewalk is the maintenance responsibility of the owner of the property on which the sidewalk is located.
   Sidewalks in front of several dozen Pennington properties are long overdue for repair. Most of those properties are in the older part of town. Councilman Lawver said the sidewalk issue is important because the current condition of a number of sidewalks is hazardous to pedestrians and cyclists.
   Mr. Lawver indicated that, if this plan doesn’t work, the borough is likely to take a tougher line to ensure the walkability of Pennington.
   He said that, under existing law, “we (the borough) can make the repairs and place a lien on the property if the owner doesn’t reimburse the borough for the cost.”
   It’s a good time to get sidewalks fixed from a financial planning standpoint, Councilman Thomas Ogren said last month, when the ordinance was introduced. “New construction is down, and contractors are looking for work,” he noted.