[Adopted 3-3-1969 by Ord. No. 615 (Ch. XVI,
Secs. 60 to 69.1, of the 1962 Code)]
Whenever it shall be directed and required by
the Council of the Borough of Catasauqua, it shall be the duty of
the owner or owners of the lot or lots of ground respectively fronting
on the streets and alleys of the said Borough, and they are hereby
enjoined and required to construct, reconstruct or repair sidewalks,
curbs and gutters on said streets and alleys with such material and
in such manner as hereinafter provided, and on the neglect or refusal
of said owner or owners of the lot or lots, as aforesaid, to comply
with such requirements and directions within 30 days after having
been regularly notified so to do by written or printed notice from
the Council of said Borough, it shall be the duty of the said Council
to cause the construction, reconstruction or repair of sidewalks,
curbs and gutters, as aforesaid, at the cost of such owner or owners
of the lot or lots aforesaid in the manner hereinafter specified;
and immediately upon the completion of the same, said Council shall
furnish the Borough Solicitor with an itemized statement of the cost
of the same, giving the name of the owner or owners of the lot or
lots of ground fronting as aforesaid, and said Solicitor shall then
proceed to collect the amount of said cost from such owner or owners,
and in case said owner or owners shall neglect or refuse to pay said
amount within 15 days after receiving statement for the work from
said Solicitor, it shall be the duty of said Solicitor, and he is
hereby enjoined and directed to collect said cost with 10% additional
thereon together with all charges and expenses by lien or by action
of assumpsit.
The notice provided for in § 230-11 of this article shall be served upon the owner of the premises to which such notice refers if said owner be a resident of the Borough. If said owner is not such resident, then said notice may be served on the agent or tenant of said owner or upon the occupant of said premises. If said owner has no agent or tenant or there be no occupier of said premises, then by printed or written notice tacked upon the premises.
A.
All paving herein provided of all sidewalks shall
not be less than five feet in width on all streets and alleys over
20 feet wide, unless directed otherwise by Council, and shall not
be less than 2 1/2 feet in width on all streets and alleys 20
feet and less than 20 feet wide, and shall have a slope of 1/4 of
an inch to one foot from the property line of the street to the outer
line of the curbing, unless the grade of the intersecting street does
not permit, and in such case the same shall be made as the Borough
Engineer may direct. Since street widths are total and inclusive of
two sidewalk areas and a curb to curb actual street width, the location
of sidewalks on sidewalk designated areas shall be:
(1)
For five-foot-width sidewalks: three feet minimum
from outer edge of curb for locations having sidewalk areas of eight
feet or more, such location to be constant within the limits of one
block; flush with the inner edge of the curb where the sidewalk area
for the location is less than eight feet wide;
(2)
For two-and-one-half-foot-width sidewalks: flush with
inner edge of the curb.
(3)
Where new sidewalks are required and within a block
containing existing sidewalks, such new sidewalks shall be located
to match the existing sidewalks.
(4)
Other than for Subsection A(3) above, exceptions to location may be requested by a property owner who shall, on his application for a permit, state the location desired and attach to the application approval of said location signed by property owners owning 3/4 or more of the frontage within the limits of one block (street to street or street to alley). The Borough Manager may approve such variance and so note the permit after satisfying himself that the request is valid and to minimize any unjust hardship or destruction of existing property.
B.
All intersections of streets shall be constructed
with a curb having a radius of not less than 20 feet for arterial
or collector streets, 10 feet for primary or residential streets.
At intersections at which one or more of the intersecting streets
is less than 20 feet wide curb radius shall be six feet.
[Amended 12-1-2008 by Ord. No. 1229]
In all cases, permanent sidewalks, curbs and
gutters where required, shall be constructed of concrete, except as
provided for properties in Historic Districts, in accordance with
the following specifications:
A.
Sidewalks shall be poured monolithically, tamped and
screeded true to grade and sectioned with sufficient mortar brought
to the surface for finishing with wood float. Round all edges, including
those of separation plates and expansion joints to one-quarter-inch
radius.
B.
Curbs shall be poured monolithically and templates
and forms removed as soon as practicable. Minor defects shall be corrected
by patching with mortar. All exposed concrete shall be rubbed to a
smooth surface and edges at joints finished with a suitable tool.
Round street edge to one-inch radius. Plastering is not permitted.
C.
The concrete body of standard pedestrian sidewalk
shall be five inches in thickness, crossovers, when their construction
has been permitted, shall be six-inch thickness for standard residential
uses and eight inches reinforced with No. 6 gauge welded wire fabric
(six inches mesh) for service stations and other heavy-duty uses.
The concrete shall be mixed in the following proportions measured
by volume: one part true portland cement; two parts sand which shall
be clean, hard, durable and free from lumps of clay, and all vegetable
and deleterious substances; four parts of coarse aggregate which shall
consist of clean, durable crushed rock or limestone free from dust,
vegetable or other organic matter, and properly graded in size. Only
enough water to produce a plastic, workable mix shall be used. Water-cement
ratio shall be six gallons of water per bag of cement.
D.
The concrete body of curb shall have a top width of
six inches, shall better to a bottom width of eight inches and shall
have a depth of 22 inches and to be the same mix as for sidewalks.
E.
Sidewalk slabs shall be not more than 30 square feet
in area.
F.
Expansion joints 1/2 inch in thickness shall be provided
with premolded filler at intervals of not more than 30 feet for curb,
and at points of tangency of street returns and intersecting curbs.
Curbs are to be constructed in uniform lengths of 10 feet and all
sections shall be separated by templates.
G.
Sidewalk sections shall be separated by plates extending
fall depth of concrete. When these are removed, grooves shall be filled
with dry, sharp sand. Expansion joints of 1/2 inch each shall be provided
with premolded filler at intervals of not more than 30 feet.
H.
Where existing structures such as light standards,
poles, fire hydrants, etc., are within the limits of the sidewalk
area, the concrete around such structures shall be scored in a square
eight inches wider than the maximum dimension of the structure at
the sidewalk elevation. Prior to placing the concrete around such
structures, a premolded expansion joint, 1/2 of an inch in thickness,
shall be placed around the structure for the full depth of the concrete
in the sidewalk.
I.
The subgrade for construction of curb or sidewalk
shall be compacted soil or crushed stone. If the soil is suitable
for use as subgrade, it shall be compacted by hand, a pneumatic compactor
or a self-contained compactor. Compaction shall continue until a firm,
stable subgrade is achieved.
J.
If the soil is unsuitable for use as subgrade, then
additional material shall be removed and a minimum of six inches of
Pennsylvania Department of Highways No. 28 crushed stone shall be
placed and thoroughly compacted to the design subgrade elevation.
K.
All forms shall be made of substantial material preferably
of steel and shall be smooth, free from warp and sufficiently rigid
to resist springing out of shape. Forms should be set to line and
grades as established by the Borough.
From and after the passage of this article it
shall be the responsibility of the property owner to maintain sidewalks
curbs and gutters abutting his property.
[Amended 12-1-2008 by Ord. No. 1229]
It shall be the duty of all owners of real estate
and contractors, mechanics and laborers employed by said owners, during
the construction of sidewalks, curb or gutter on any street or alley,
to place barricades at the ends of said construction and the sides
of all construction where the length of the construction area exceeds
six feet, and to provide lighting devices from sunset to sunrise on
or at all required barricades. Said barricade and lighting devices
shall be in conformance with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
regulations at Title 67, Chapter 203, Work Zone Traffic Control. The
color of the light emitted from any warning light shall be yellow.
Whenever any obstruction or obstructions are
made by either excavation or otherwise, under or across any part of
any sidewalk for any purpose whatsoever, a safe and convenient passage
shall be provided around or over the same for public travel, and the
watercourses shall always be kept open for the free passage of surface
water and in all cases where such obstructions are made by reason
of private improvements, the owners of property where such improvements
shall be made shall be responsible for any damages occasioned by any
neglect of or refusal to comply with the provisions of this article.
[Amended 12-1-2008 by Ord. No. 1229]
A.
Except as provided in Subsection B of this section, it shall be unlawful to construct new, or to repair in kind, any brick, slate, or flagstone sidewalk or brick, slate or flagstone curb within the public rights-of-way. Any existing curbs or sidewalks of brick, slate, or flagstone within the public rights-of-way which are in need of repair or otherwise not in first class condition shall be removed and replaced with concrete curbs and sidewalks in accordance with §§ 230-13 and 230-14 of the Codification of Ordinances.
B.
Properties in Historic Districts. Where a property
is located in an officially designated Historic District, a property
owner is permitted to use brick, slate or flagstone in repair or replacement
of sidewalks already constructed out of brick, slate or flagstone.
A property owner desiring to change the material from concrete to
brick, slate or flagstone must petition the Council for a review of
the proposed project and permission to use one of the aforesaid alternate
materials. The Public Works Committee shall review the application
and make a recommendation to the Council which can approve or deny
the request.
The Borough Manager be empowered, and he is
hereby enjoined and directed, to order the removal, repair, construction
or reconstruction of curbs and sidewalks if any of the following conditions
exist:
A.
Pedestrian or vehicular traffic patterns in areas
of the Borough where curbs and sidewalks were not previously required
have, in the opinion of the Street and Public Safety Committees, created
safety hazards to the public.
B.
Any depression, crack, heaving or separation in curbs
or sidewalks has resulted in a lateral opening or any abrupt vertical
differential exceeding 1 1/2 inches.
C.
Crumbled or deteriorated sidewalk surface area exceeding
six square inches and 1/2 inch in depth.
D.
Any curb tilted into the gutter in excess of two inches
from a vertical gauge.
E.
Crumbled or deteriorated curb sections affecting an
area six inches in any surface dimension.
[Amended 10-6-1980 by Ord. No. 811]
A.
It shall be the duty of all owners of lots as aforesaid,
and they are hereby enjoined and required, previous to the construction,
reconstruction or repair of sidewalks, curb or gutter, to make application
for a permit therefor to the Borough Manager.
[Amended 4-1-2013 by Ord. No. 1288]
Any person or persons failing to comply with
or violating any of the provisions of this article shall upon conviction
before the Mayor or any District Justice of said Borough of Catasauqua
pay a fine or penalty for each and every such failure or violation
of not less than $5 and not more than $25. Any person found guilty
of violating an ordinance shall be assessed court costs and reasonable
attorneys’ fees incurred by the Borough in the enforcement proceedings.
