South Windsor Residents Support Sidewalk Ordinance Amendment

The South Windsor Town Council held a public hearing Monday on the proposed amended sidewalk ordinance that would, among other things, shift away from homeowners some of the financial responsibilities of having sidewalks installed and maintained.

If passed, the amendment would remove from the ordinance the requirement that homeowners with land abutting proposed sidewalks pick up 25 percent of the tab for installation.

What’s more, the amendment also provides that homeowners do not have to repair abutting sidewalks if the homeowners or their agents are not responsible for the sidewalks’ damage.

The current ordinance requires homeowners to make such repairs in any event.

The amendment was proposed in part after the town attorney reviewed the existing ordinance and determined that some of the provisions would be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce.

The amended ordinance was well-received by the four members of the public - all members of South Windsor Walk and Wheel Ways - who spoke on record during the hearing.

“I support the change in the South Windsor sidewalk ordinance; this change needs to be made to make South Windsor more acceptable to abutting homeowners,” said Bob Dickinson.

Roy Normen said that he not only was in favor of the amendment, he hoped the town would go further to limit liability on homeowners regarding damages that may arise from someone who is injured on an abutting sidewalk.

“This is not for my benefit,” he said. “It’s for the benefit of kids who walk to school. [A homeowner] should be relieved of liability if someone falls in front of their house. [But the amendment] is a good step forward.”

A straw vote - a custom in South Windsor - came out 5-0 in favor of the amendment.

The Town Council is expected to vote on the amended ordinance at its next meeting.