UPDATE 8/23/2017
After several months of hard work, the 2017 Sidewalk Replacement project is now complete.
The project began last October when property owners received a Notice of Public Nuisance relating to Sidewalk Repairs required on your property. At that time, the City proposed to cover half of the cost of sidewalk repairs for property owners participating in a coordinated City project. The cost share was funded with an allocation of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, administered by Hennepin County.
This spring property owners received a second notice when the City received bids and awarded a contract for the sidewalk repair project. Work on this project has now been completed. Overall costs for the project were much lower than expected.
Due to lower costs, the City has been able to fund the entire project with CDBG funds and an additional contribution from the State of Minnesota’s Small Cities Assistance Program. Under these special circumstances, there will be no property owner contribution required for the 2017 Sidewalk Repairs. In other words, property owners pay nothing for the 2017 Sidewalk Replacement Project.
We thank you for your patience during this project, and hope that everyone in the community will be able to enjoy the new sidewalks.
As cooler weather approaches, we would also like to remind residential sidewalk owners of their responsibility to promptly remove snow from their public walkway. All snow must be removed within 24 hours. Those elderly residents unable to arrange for their own snow removal may contact the Household & Outside Maintenance for Elderly (HOME) Program of Senior Community Services. For more information contact 952-746-4046 or visit www.seniorcommunity.org.
UPDATE: 10/28/2016
Sidewalk repair letters were hand-delivered by City Staff this morning. If you weren’t at home when the letters were delivered, please check around your front door to see if a letter was left for you.
If you’d like another copy of the letter or have questions about its contents, please contact City Planner Nancy Abts at 763-425-1454 or nabts@ci.osseo.mn.us
Dear Residents,
Safety for our residents and visitors is essential to the City of Osseo. Our small, historic community should be a place that is safe and accessible for everyone. This is an important goal, and everyone must work together to help our city be the best it can be.
In a city as old as Osseo, public safety sometimes requires we spend time and effort repairing and maintaining our shared facilities.
The city has been working over the past several years to improve our aging roadways and utilities. We also know that not everyone who lives in Osseo drives, and some people choose to live in Osseo because they do not need to drive to get around town. A network of safe, accessible sidewalks benefits everyone, from our youngest residents who cannot drive yet, to older residents who might choose not to drive, and to four-legged pets and everyone else who enjoys walking around town.
Sidewalks are important to our city, and many of them are in need of repair. The City Council recently adopted a policy that identifies which sidewalks need to be repaired, and how those sidewalks will be identified. In the coming week, City employees will complete an inspection of the city’s residential sidewalks. You might notice some white “x” markings on damaged sections of sidewalk throughout the city. Sidewalks marked with white paint are considered hazards and need to be repaired. A second letter will be sent to affected properties.
Osseo City Code states that it is the duty of the owner of any property within the city abutting a public sidewalk to keep the sidewalk in good repair and safe for pedestrians. This includes promptly removing snow and ice in the winter, and paying for needed repairs. However, with a large number of sidewalks needing repairs, the City is proposing a coordinated repair effort. The City has identified funding that may help offset the cost for repairs identified in the upcoming inventory.
If sidewalks abutting your property are identified in the upcoming repair inventory, you will receive a second letter with more information about the required repairs and the City’s plan to share the cost for these repairs with residents. We expect to send this second letter in October. The City plans to complete repairs at the start of the 2017 construction season, next spring. This timeline will allow us to get the best pricing for the sidewalk repairs.
If you have questions about the city’s sidewalk repair program that are not answered in this letter, please contact us at City Hall. City Planner Nancy Abts will be the primary contact for this project, and she can be reached at 763-425-1454 or nabts@ci.osseo.mn.us
Thank you for your help in making—and keeping—the City of Osseo the best it can be!
Sincerely,
Riley Grams, City Administrator
