Council divided on sidewalk replacement project

     In October 2019, the Monticello City Council voted and unanimously approved installation (replacement) of a sidewalk on easement property between Walnut and Gill streets.

     The sidewalk sits on the Ketelsen property. The city was granted an easement a century ago for the sidewalk, though City Administrator Doug Herman said there’s no mention in any deed to that effect. The Ketelsen family has always maintained the sidewalk, especially in the winter.

     Neighboring property owners, Nick and Anne Strittmatter and Kristofer and Monica Lyons, attested to the popularity of the sidewalk and its frequent use during the council meeting on June 1. N. Gill Street, between First and Fourth streets, does not have a turn or other sidewalks for the public to use.

     At the time when the council approved the installation the cost was $4,453 for a 5-foot sidewalk and $3,789 for 4-foot, provided by MAC Concrete Construction. The sidewalk is 162 feet in length.

     Now, months later, the council had a change of heart.

     Council member Dave Goedken requested that the item be placed back on the agenda, and the resolution rescinded. However, the votes fell with two for (Goedken and Candy Langerman), three against (Chris Lux, Tom Yeoman, and Gary Feldmann), and one abstention (Brenda Hanken). Four votes were needed to pass.

     That means the previous resolution from October stands for replacement of the sidewalk.

     This agenda item brought about an hour-plus of discussion.

     Before now, the city replaced a number of panels of the sidewalk in the 1980s.

     Herman informed the council that if they wanted to abandon the sidewalk, it would require a public hearing to vacate the property.

     Goedken pushed to have the issue looked into further to determine whether an easement document exits or not, whether it really is the city’s obligation to replace.

     “You can have an easement without a piece of paper,” said Herman. He said he reviewed the Ketelsens’ abstract and found no mention of the sidewalk.

     The Strittmatters said this sidewalk is a unique feature for a community like Monticello, and encouraged the city to follow through with the initial approval to replace it.

     “The public at large has used it,” Nick said. “It’s the narrowest point between two streets on the entire block. If it was removed, it would cause problems and cut off traffic between the streets.”

     The Strittmatters said of ease of accessibility, this sidewalk is needed. “It’s a safety issue,” they said.

     Nick said if it were removed, people would continue to walk through private property to get from Walnut and Gill streets.

     “It’s an interesting feature in a long-established neighborhood,” Nick said. “I ask the city council to keep it and repair it.”

     Kris Lyons acknowledged the fact that people do tread through their property quite often, but the need for the sidewalk outweighs privacy.

     “It’s used constantly, especially during the school year,” he said. He urged the council to think about the families whose kids use the sidewalk, all sidewalks in town, to safely get from home to school and back.

     “It’s a small price to pay to keep these families here,” he added. “It does a lot of good.”

     Goedken said if it weren’t for this discussion, he wouldn’t even have known this sidewalk exists.

     Council member Tom Yeoman said he’d had several people contact him about this sidewalk, asking to see it repaired.

     “From my history in this community, I used it everyday to get from Shannon to Carpenter schools. I assume others do the same,” recalled Yeoman of walking to school.

     Lyons said neither he nor Ketelsens have ever asked the city for reimbursement to maintain the sidewalk. Lyons urged the council to look at the sidewalk in order to make an informed decision.

     “This sidewalk has served a public purpose,” added Nick. “I see it as the city’s responsibility in lieu of an actual street.”

In other city business:

   • The council approved a third pay request from Crawford Company related to the HVAC project at the Berndes Center. The amount of the request was $58,965.55.

     The city maintains $27,694.40 in retainage.

     • The council approved paying Emerald Green Lawncare $5,000 for work on reseeding N. Sycamore Street following the street reconstruction project.

     The contractor submitted an invoice for payment, noting that their initial bid of $5,450, the lowest bid, was $1,000 off. (The actual bid was $6,450. The discrepancy was due to a math error.)

     The council chose to withhold $1,450 until the contractor addresses some concerns the city had with the finished product.