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As the mayoral election approaches, Syracuse is also preparing for its first winter operating under Mayor Ben Walsh’s recently enacted $4.5 million municipal sidewalk policy. 

Syracuse Common Council approved the policy, a longstanding priority of Mayor Walsh’s administration, in a 7-2 vote this past June, marking a noticeable departure from the city’s past sidewalk policy.

Prior to this enactment, private property owners were responsible for the cost of replacing their sidewalk if a city inspector condemned it. The cost could potentially amount to thousands of dollars.

Under the new ordinance, the municipal government would assume responsibility for the maintenance of pre-existing sidewalks as well as the construction of new and replacement sidewalks where they are needed.

Beginning in the second half of 2021 and continuing for the following five years, the city of Syracuse will assess an annual fee for sidewalk maintenance. The fee will start at $20 and increase incrementally by $20 over the subsequent five years, amounting to a final cap of $100 for the sixth year. For commercial property owners, the increase will be $60 annually up to a cap of $300. Starting at the sixth year, the city will charge commercial and private properties the flat rate year after year. For both types of properties, there will be no sidewalk fees issued to property owners for the program’s first year. 

Sidewalk repairs began this past July at the corner of Tioga Street and Marcellus Street, but there are plans to construct and repair up to 20 miles of new or currently-existing sidewalks. The mayor’s office saw an overwhelmingly positive community response to these initial efforts, Walsh said in an interview with The Daily Orange. 

These efforts will promote sidewalk equity and accessibility in a city where many residents lack reliable access to personal cars, he said.

In the build-up to next month’s mayoral election, Syracuse policymakers have raised concerns about the long-term financial viability of the program and its annual cost to Syracuse residents

Sidewalk repairs began this past July at the corner of Tioga Street and Marcellus Street, but there are plans to construct and repair up to 20 miles of new or currently-existing sidewalks.
Arthur Maiorella | Contributing Photographer

Khalid Bey was one of the seven Common Council members to vote for the program this past June. The councilor-at-large and Democratic mayoral candidate voted in favor of the program only after the inclusion of a $500,000 hardship fund.

Bey pushed for the fund to help fixed income residents who may not be able to afford the program’s annual fees. But he still believes the sidewalk program is noticeably flawed.

“In Mayor Walsh’s plan, the taxpayers are paying more money for an inferior product,” Bey said in an email statement.

Bey was also involved in a 2013 municipal sidewalk proposal that ultimately wasn’t enacted. His 2013 proposal for double-pour concrete sidewalk constructions was estimated by the then-commissioner of the Syracuse Department of Public Works to cost upwards of just $2 million, Bey said.

Bey also criticized the program’s usage of single-pour concrete, a concrete mixture that fills in both the footing and walls of a foundation in a single pour.

“A single-pour sidewalk will deteriorate much faster as a result of our winters, ultimately requiring a lot more in maintenance and costs,” he said to The D.O. 

Janet Burman, the Republican mayoral candidate, did not respond to multiple requests for an interview about the city’s municipal sidewalk program.

Maya Goosmann | Digital Design Director

Mayor Walsh said he believes that the use of single-pour concrete allows the city’s Department of Public Works to fill in more linear feet of sidewalk at a greater rate than double-pour concrete.

The Department of Public Works will reach out to and work with local construction contractors to ensure a high standard of quality for the concrete used in future sidewalk constructions, Walsh said.

As for concerns over the program’s cost to individual residents, Mayor Walsh highlighted the gradual, phased increase in annual fees and lack of any payable individual fees for the program’s first year.

“Our goal is not to be punitive but to instead improve our city’s sidewalk policy. When financial hardship exists, there is opportunity for relief,” he said.

Another factor to consider in these constructions and repairs is the harsh winter conditions that play a major role in Syracuse’s sidewalk conditions. 

According to a joint 2016 study done by professors from Syracuse University and Finland’s University of Turku, Syracuse has historically struggled to clear sidewalks and public spaces. Additionally, the widespread application of rock salt during this clearing has posed a risk to the integrity and accessibility of the city’s pathways.

With aid from the American Rescue Plan, Mayor Walsh said he hopes to oversee the issuing of new snow-clearing contracts for the coming winter season.  

“Our goal with the pilot program was to establish a proof of concept, and we were aided by having two winters of encouraging feedback,” he said.

Mayor Walsh also said that while this snow clearing program is still just supplemental to the efforts of private citizens to do their share of the clearing work, he hopes his broader sidewalk policy sends an encouraging mayoral campaign message about the infrastructural improvements his administration has been able to make. 

“We get things done. That’s the type of the administration we’ve been, and we hope to continue to do that,” he said.

Published on October 14, 2021 at 2:18 am

Contact Joseph: jthacket@syr.edu