FOLLOWUP: Nine months after grant approval, Morgan Junction sidewalk repair about to begin

We first told you back in January that a Neighborhood Park and Street Fund application for sidewalk repair in Morgan Junction had been approved – and now, the work is finally about to begin.

Morgan Community Association president Deb Barker tells WSB that the group has word from SDOT that work is about to start on the project – “long-needed sidewalk repair at the SW intersection of California Ave SW and Fauntleroy Way SW alongside three properties. Ginnie Hance, who manages the Ivy Court Apartments, was concerned about the hazardous sidewalk condition caused in part by tree roots, and submitted the Neighborhood Park and Street Fund application in 2014.” That’s a fund open to community applications for projects like this. SDOT says the work will start “as soon as October 20th,” but is weather-dependent. Once it starts, it’ll take three to four weeks, which means it should be finished by Thanksgiving; SDOT is working now on putting together flyers to send around – once we get a copy, we’ll publish it as an update.

P.S. MoCA’s next quarterly meeting is just a week away; it’s at 7 pm next Wednesday (October 21st), at The Kenney (WSB sponsor).

chemist October 14, 2015 (11:52 am)

That’s interesting, I always thought the city policy was sidewalk maintenance and repair was the responsibility of the property owner. Will admit that the sidewalk breakup and patching in front of that Starbucks is pretty crummy though.

dsa October 14, 2015 (1:18 pm)

I agree with chemist. Long ago I was told maintenance and repair of the sidewalk belonged to the adjacent property owner.

NeoYogi October 14, 2015 (2:33 pm)

If the city planted the trees that caused the damage, it’s the city’s responsibility to fix. I found this out when I reached out for info regarding the damaged sidewalk in front of my old house. Found out the tree in question in the parking strip wasn’t on the city’s inventory list of trees they had planted so the fix was on me. And if I didn’t do it, I’d be fined $1000 per day. No kidding. So, I fixed it and had the tree removed. Cost us over $5,000.

dan October 14, 2015 (4:28 pm)

As a business owner that is effected by this I wish they provided more info on the project! I have not had a single person or flyer explain the project scope, closure, or access issues that this will cause. WTH?

WSB October 14, 2015 (5:27 pm)

Dan, I am not sure how much info we have in the archives but looking. For those who wondered why funding was available for sidewalks when in general property owners are told they’re responsible for sidewalk maintenance/repair – if you follow the link to NPSF’s page, you’ll see the criteria. This is the page: http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/neighborhood-park-and-street-fund
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If you think you have a project to put forward, that page includes the deadlines too. Working with your neighborhood council (if you have one) helps too. – TR

dcn October 14, 2015 (6:06 pm)

If my neighbor’s tree is causing the sidewalk on my property to buckle, who’s responsibility is it to fix the sidewalk?

M October 14, 2015 (8:08 pm)

It’s funny. I have walked that sidewalk hundreds of times and never really noticed its condition.

BlairJ October 15, 2015 (11:22 am)

The Seattle DOT has a map identifying for each street tree in the city whether it was planted by the city or by someone else (presumably the adjacent property owner). Best to consult that resource before complaining to the city about sidewalk damage in front of your property.

Interesting map to browse if you want to know the species of most street trees.

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