Improvements are under way all over Downtown Delmar Maryland and Delaware to improve the sidewalks. While it may be affordable for each community as a whole, these are very trying times for residents who can't afford to fork out the kind of money it will cost to improve their properties.
While many feel this should be an expense the Towns should upkeep, they are being told the sidewalks are their responsibility, (the homeowners) and one of them informed me it would cost them around $12,000.00.
One Town Official stated that while the construction crews are in the area right now, they can take advantage of "their cost" to replace what they have, allegedly saving many thousands of dollars.
As you can see from the photos above, believe it or not, many of the residents are parking their cars right on the sidewalks and that even includes Class A Motor Homes. If you look closely at the photo just below the Motor Home you'll see they're parked right on what used to be a sidewalk. Today it's covered up with dirt and grass but there used to be a sidewalk there.
One of the other main issues is, some of these sidewalks were installed by the property owners many years ago, hence the Town claiming they are the responsibility of the property owner. The other main issue is that the roads are nowhere near wide enough to meet normal standards today, hence the parking directly on the sidewalks in order to allow traffic to flow down the streets.
The City of Salisbury currently offers to pay 1/2 of any improvements on sidewalks and also expects them to be cleared and maintained by the property owners during any snow storms and or upkeep from tall grass.
So what do YOU think Folks. Do you think NOW is the time to be sending out violations to property owners in such hard times, just because the Town can afford to do so? Do you think sidewalks are your responsibility? Did a Real Estate Agent tell you when you bought your home that the Sidewalk and curbs are your responsibility when you purchased the home?
This should get interesting!
26 comments:
If the town wants sidewalks, let them pay for them. Personally, I don't want to spend 1 red cent for a sidewalk in front of my house that I don't want and will never use.
Never in my life have I heard of sidewalks being the responsibility of the home owner in an incorporated town. This is some crap..and I don't even live in delmar. They should be ashamed that they let them get that bad. We got people complaining that sidewalks are being built in Salisbury yet Delmar can't even get the city to fix the ones they got....What is this area coming to?
At least the workers are all American citizens. Delamr thats is. Go look at the perking garage and see how many Americans citizens are working there.
No one walks anymore anyway. Makes sense to let the homeowner be the decision maker. I have a sidewalk in front of my house, and guess who gets to pull the weeds out so it does not bust the concrete? Not the state & not the county, just little ole me.
I agree that sidewalks should be the responsibility of the towns. Crisfield has been charging the homeowner 100% of the cost of repair for years. How much of this foolishness will the people tolorate. It seems that only now in bad economic times, that people are getting very concerned about this abuse of government power.
I live in Salisbury and pay ridiculous city and county taxes. I moved into a new home 3 years ago, and my sidewalk was cracked and chipped from the get go---and You are telling Me it is my responsibility? I am so ready to get effin outta here.
P.S.--I don't have children and contribute to the school for all their expenses, too. Have done so my entire working life-35 years. When is my break coming?
Sidewalks and curbs are not the homeowners responsibility. I lived in the townhouse where the sidewalks were redone and they only did the sidewalks and left the driveways alone.
I live in Delmar just out of town limits so I have no sidewalk and am so glad. Until the town makes much needed repair to their streets and does something about the LeCates eyesore, I think they have some nerve to complain about sidewalks. Maybe the town should just rip them up and have it over with.
What do they enforce?When I lived in Salisbury I was the only person on my street who shoveled off snow in the winter.None of my none-shoveling neighbors got citations but guess who got one when the weeds in the walk got too high?
A deed on Roger street in Salisbury shows that the 100 foot deep lot starts at the face of curb, but reserves a 5' easement for a future city sidewalk. To me this means the buyer is not allowed to build anything on that 5' strip, and the City is welcome anytime( which they since have) to come put a 5' curb and sidewalk there. That also means if they make it out of crappy materials or it just becomes 50 years old and the thing crumbles away, they should be liable for repairs or replacement. The easement itself actually spells out that the landowner is NOT ALLOWED to build anything there; even a sidewalk.
No ,now is not the time.
Now is the time to ask city officials where are tax dollars are going.
Why not sidewalks, anyway i dont know of any reason to have a sidewalk downtown delmar, whats there a bar and what else?
hey joe i think that some one put sod down on the one by the fence looks good leave them alone
Wow with all the money they save on sidewalk repair/replacement do you think they could fix the railroad tracks by the liquor store? Everytime I go over them I am afraid I am going to bust a tire. Take some recent photos of that and post them here Joe. It is terrible.
Good Topic...If you have a sidewalk in front of your house, you should maintain it. It would be impossible for the town to maintain all the sidewalks. The property owner should remove snow, kill and pull weeds, sweep it and don't park cars on it. If they were to do this it would last a lot longer. People are so lazy these days and they want everything handed to them or for free. Ridiculous. And if you want the town to do all of this be prepared for higher taxes...
hey 314 these are side streets in delmar not the main
Forty years ago the sidewalks were the homeowners responsibility and alot of them were replaced. Snow removal was also the responsibility of the homeowners.
Like many other small towns, Delmar has been in a state of decay for decades, but the sidewalks are still the responsibility of the homeownwers.
hey 338 Does that matter? If you have a sidewalk you should help maintain it. Plain and simple stop being lazy. Use pictures 4,7 and 8 as an example. The property owners should have cleaned this up years ago. And when you don't remove grass your sidewalk will look like picture 6.
This is to 4;04 #8 picture has never had a side walk at least as for back as 1983 how much farther who knows JAL
As a interested party to pic 4 drive by today and look at it ,also a member (carl ) of the town council will be looking at the area sat .Also carl stated he thought there was a no parking statute on the side atreets now not being enforced. ie the south to north.These side street were once alleys not thru streets.the end number is there are no fast solutions here.
I have been in delmar all my life but for the service 30 years ago its been a $it hole sence the late 70 early 80 let it go.
I don't know if you are being quite accurate here Joe.
I know the property owner is supposed to "maintain" the sidewalk (weeds, etc) to prevent decay and if they are not and they crack, then the property owner is responsible but I have not heard anything of the property owners being forced to pay for placement of sidewalks in front of their properties.
Maybe a call to Town Hall would give you the answers instead of just bashing Delmar.
Guess there's not enough in Salisbury for you to bash anymore so now you're going to move on and do it to Delmar? Please check before you get everyone in an uproar which is VERY easy to do with Delmar people.
hey 1134 us 'people' in delmar are being told by g bounds that the homeowners are the ones who need to foot this bill .before you blast joe do your own research
It's the same in most towns. The homeowners are responsible for paying for the sidewalks when they need replacement. If you don't pay, they will replace them and add the cost to your tax bill. Crisfield has been doing this for years. I paid $800 for 50 feet of sidewalk 20 years ago. Is it time for a revolution yet?
First off, Pic #2 is work being performed and paid for by the State of DE, not the Town of Delmar.
Repair of any problems at the railroad tracks would be the R.R. Co. responsibility as it was in Salisbury.
Pic #3 is being paid for by Delmar.
For those of you who do not think the sidewalks in front of your homes are your responsibilities, you had better check with your lawyers. If someone falls on the sidewalk at your house, you are the one they will sue. They may included your town/city also, but you will be listed as the primary defendant in the lawsuit.
I am not a member of any town, city or county council. I am someone who has perform concrete repairs/construction for municipalities for 30 years
hey 9:41
Well we "people" in Delmar know how good Gaylon Bounds is. He's rather do something like you are saying than do his REAL job.
Gaylon Bounds is a joke!
Now lets remember folks, you all want the revenue cap. That means that you also agree to less services. With this sort of funding coming almost excusively from fuel tax, how will there be any extra money laying around with a revenue cap? You cant have your cake and eat it too.
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