In the historic village with many large mature trees close to the sidewalks, “the task of replacing broken or heaved sidewalks is almost continuous,” said Clarkston City Manager Jonathan Smith in a recent communication to city residents and business colleagues.
The city has just under five miles of sidewalk, or about 6,500 slabs. Of these 6,500 slabs, there are 301 slabs currently in need of replacement, or nearly five percent of the slabs in the city, according to Smith.
“The criteria used for this assessment was significantly cracked slabs and slabs raised (or sunken) 3/4 of an inch or more versus the neighboring slabs,” Smith said. “Finding a contractor who performs this type of work (replace three slabs here, two slabs over there, five slabs over there, and so on) is not easy and not cheap. The one quote received so far for this work, at $73,000, was well over the city’s available budget, so I am seeking other quotes.
“Regarding the deteriorating paver aprons downtown, the city is actively pursuing a cost-effective solution with City Engineer Hubbell, Roth, and Clark.”