[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 1]
No trees, shrubbery or other growth shall hereafter be planted,
public utility poles erected or relocated within the street lines
and no steps, cellar doors, railings, areaways, posts, pipes, guards,
lights, porches, awnings, stands, signs, tanks, pumps, merchandise
or other objects shall be constructed or placed within or permitted
to encroach over or into the street limits of any street in the Town
of Bloomsburg, unless the permission of the Town Council shall have
been received. Such permission may be granted upon written application
on a form or forms provided by and made to the Zoning Officer of the
Code Enforcement Officer and approved by either one.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 2; as amended by Ord. 974,
5/9/2016]
Any trees, now standing within the street line of the Town of
Bloomsburg, may not be removed or cut down, except at the direction
of the Town Council or upon written permission, or use of the proper
form or forms, made to the Zoning Officer or the Code Enforcement
Officer. If necessary, advice of the Town Engineer or of the Superintendent
of Public Works or of the Planning Commission or of the Town Council
may be sought by the Zoning Officer or the Code Enforcement Officer.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1075, § 3]
All owners of property abutting on the streets of the Town shall,
upon receipt of 60 days notice, in writing, from the Town Secretary
thereof, repair, trim, cut down and/or remove any or all tress, shrubbery
or other growth, steps, cellar doors, railings, areaways, posts, pipes,
guards, lights, porches, awnings, stands, signs, tanks, pumps, merchandise
or other objects, growing or located within the street line or encroaching
over the street lines and upon failure to do so, the same shall be
done by the Town authorities and the costs thereof collected from
the property owner or owners by legal action, if necessary, or by
the entry of a municipal lien.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 4; as amended by Ord. 974,
5/9/2016]
1. The owner or owners of all lots fronting or abutting upon any public
street shall maintain in good repair and condition sidewalks and curbs
in accordance with the standards and requirements set forth in this
Part so that the sidewalks and curbs are reasonably safe.
2. The ground
between the property lines and sidewalk lines and between the sidewalk
lines and curbs in front of or alongside of all properties abutting
on the streets in the Town of Bloomsburg shall be well graded and
sodded.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 5; as amended by Ord. 974,
5/9/2016]
1. For new construction, the owner or owners of all lots fronting or
abutting upon any public street shall construct, lay out, and set
sidewalks and curbs in accordance with the standards and requirements
set forth in this Part.
2. For all properties other than new construction, the owner or owners
of all lots fronting or abutting upon any public street shall construct,
lay out, and set sidewalks and curbs this Part when the standards
and requirements set forth in this Part when directed to do so by
the Town Council of the Town of Bloomsburg.
3. Waivers. The Town Council may waive the requirements for sidewalks
contained above if it determines in the following circumstances that
the amount of pedestrian traffic will be minimal, the provisions of
sidewalks will create an undue hardship, and/or the provisions of
sidewalks will change the character of the area proposed for development:
A. The sidewalk will be located on a street with a limited or reduced right-of-way width which is less than the required right-of-way width listed at §
22-502, Table 1, of the Town of Bloomsburg's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance.
B. The lot, subdivision, or land development is within a neighborhood
where no other sidewalks exist and none are reasonably expected to
be constructed within the foreseeable future.
C. The subdivision or land development has topographic, environmentally
sensitive features such as existing wetlands and/or man-made limitations
such as buildings or retaining walls.
D. The waiver shall not be substantially inconsistent with the Town
of Bloomsburg's Comprehensive Plan to improve walkability and inner
connectivity of the various residential, commercial, and industrial
segments of the Town.
4. All requests for waivers shall be submitted in writing and shall
include a detailed statement as to why the waiver should be granted.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 6]
Every owner of property in the Town of Bloomsburg shall, on
60 days notice from the Town Council, repair the sidewalks or curbs,
in the manner stipulated in such notice, in front of or alongside
such property.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 7; as amended by Ord. 974,
5/9/2016]
1. All curbs constructed in front of or alongside of any property abutting
the streets in the Town of Bloomsburg shall conform to PennDOT Publications
408 and 72M(RC) standards, as last revised.
2. Expansion joint material shall be placed in curbs at the end of each
workday, at the beginning and end of a radius, and at a change in
horizontal alignment or property line.
3. Excavations shall be made to the required depth, and the material
upon which the curb is to be constructed shall be compacted to a firm,
even surface. Where the subgrade is soft or spongy, a layer of AASHTO
No. 57 aggregate not less than four inches thick shall be placed under
the curb.
4. Street reconstruction for curb installation shall be parallel to
the finished curb no more than one foot from the face of the curb,
and its edge shall be saw cut in a straight line the entire depth
of the existing paving. All material excavated from the street shall
be replaced with PennDOT No. 2A course aggregate and thoroughly compacted.
New pavement shall be 4 1/2 inches of bituminous base course
and one inch of bituminous wearing surface, or match existing pavement
thicknesses, whichever is greater. Pavement material and placement
shall be in accordance with PennDOT Publication 408 standards, as
last revised.
5. The reveal of all curbs shall match the reveal of all adjacent curbs.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 8; as amended by Ord. 974,
5/9/2016]
1. All sidewalks and all curbs shall be constructed, reconstructed,
and repaired in accordance with PennDOT Publications 408 and 72M(RC)
standards, as last revised, unless prior approval is granted by the
Town Council. PennDOT Class A cement concrete shall be utilized for
all sidewalks.
2. Where existing structures such as light standards, utility poles,
fire hydrants, and the like are within the limits of sidewalk construction,
a premolded expansion joint of not less than 1/4 inch in width shall
be placed completely around said obstruction for the full depth of
the concrete.
3. Downspouts placed under sidewalks and through curbs shall be constructed
of Schedule 40 PVC pipe.
4. Where existing street signs are within the limits of the sidewalk
construction, a four-inch diameter Schedule 40 PVC pipe shall be installed
by the property owner to allow for the placement of the said street
sign. The pipe shall be placed vertically to a distance of four inches
below the top of the sidewalk grade. In the event that a stop sign
is involved, temporary provisions shall be taken by the Town of Bloomsburg
to keep the stop sign erect and visible to motorists during construction.
5. All sidewalks shall be four inches in depth, with the exception of
driveway areas, where sidewalks shall be six inches in depth with
6 x 6 - W4.0 x W4.0 welded wire reinforcement (WWR) placed in the
center of the concrete.
6. All sidewalks shall be underlain by a four-inch layer of No. 57 stone.
7. Sidewalks shall be constructed with a maximum cross-slope of 2% and
be sloped toward the street.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 9; as amended by Ord. 641,
10/9/1978; and by Ord. 974, 5/9/2016]
In all cases where sidewalks are constructed, reconstructed
or repaired over cellars or other excavations under the sidewalks,
such sidewalks shall be supported by steel beams or girders of steel
or concrete arches. Before said construction shall be commenced, the
plans therefore may be submitted to and approved by the Town Engineer.
In no case shall any waste material or other perishable material be
used.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 10]
All sidewalks and all curbs shall be constructed, reconstructed and repaired and the grading thereof shall be in accordance with the line or grade fixed by the ordinance or ordinances laying out the street upon which said construction, reconstruction or repair is to be performed and the grade thereof shall be obtained by the property owner from the Town Engineer. Upon notice, as provided in §§
21-205 and §
21-206 of this Part, as the case may be, such work of construction or reconstruction or repairs shall be done by the owner or owners of such property or properties.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 11, as amended by Ord. 641,
10/9/1978; and by Ord. 974, 5/9/2016]
1. The Code Enforcement Officer shall report to the Town Council whether
a sidewalk and/or curb should be constructed, laid out, and set at
an individual property, and the Town Council, in its discretion, may
direct that a sidewalk and/or curb be constructed, laid out, and set.
2. The Code Enforcement Officer shall determine if an existing sidewalk
and/or curb is not reasonably safe in accordance with the criteria
set forth below and shall direct reconstruction, replacement, or repair
of the sidewalk and/or curb in accordance with the criteria set forth
below.
A. The criteria for determining whether a sidewalk and/or curb is not
reasonably safe includes, but is not limited to, the following: spalling
or wearing of the sidewalk surface; cracks having a vertical separation;
offsets between sidewalk slabs having a vertical separation; heaving
from trees and roots; the degree of cross slopes; gaps between sidewalk
slabs; prior complaints relating to a sidewalk; and prior falls on
a sidewalk.
B. The Code Enforcement Officer, upon making a determination that a
sidewalk and/or curb is not reasonably safe, in accordance with the
above criteria, shall notify the property owner in writing that the
sidewalk and/or curb must be reconstructed, replaced, or repaired
within a reasonable period of time and set forth the facts in support
of his or her determination that the sidewalk and/or curb is not reasonably
safe.
C. The property owner may appeal the determination of the Code Enforcement
Officer to the Town of Bloomsburg Code Hearing Board within 30 days
of the date of mailing of the written notice to reconstruct, replace,
or repair the sidewalk and/or curb. The appeal shall be in writing
and shall set forth the basis for the appeal.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 12; as amended by Ord. 974,
5/9/2016]
The Town Engineer or the Code Enforcement Officer or the Superintendent
of Public Works may at any time during the construction, reconstruction
or repairing of any sidewalk or curb, visit the site of such work
to ascertain whether the same is being done according to requirement.
They likewise shall visit such site for such purposes whenever requested
by the property owner.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 13; as amended by Ord. 974,
5/9/2016]
Within 30 days after the completion of the work of construction,
reconstruction or repair of any sidewalk, it shall be the duty of
the owner of any property where such work is done, to notify the Town
Secretary of that fact, so that inspection can be made to determine
whether the grade thereof has been observed and followed.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 14; as amended by Ord. 974,
5/9/2016]
Any property owner, upon his own initiation and without notice from any Town official, may construct, reconstruct or repair a sidewalk or curb in front of or alongside his property; provided, that such owner shall first make application to the Town Secretary, which construction, reconstruction or repair shall conform with the requirements of this Part and the ordinances providing for the excavation, laying out and improvement of the street, as to line and grade and as to material used and he shall also notify the Town Secretary, as required by §
21-213 of this Part, within 30 days after completion of the work.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 15]
Upon the failure of any property owner to construct, reconstruct
or repair any sidewalk or curb or to grade and sod the ground between
the property line and sidewalk line and between the sidewalk and curb,
after receipt of the notice herein provided for, the Town shall make
such improvements and shall file a municipal claim for the cost thereof,
together with 10% additional as attorney's commission for collection.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 16; as amended by Ord. 974,
5/9/2016]
Any and all public service companies operating on, along and
in the street of the Town of Bloomsburg and all property owners abutting
thereon shall, prior to the commencement of the work of placing or
replacing permanent paving thereon, at their own expense, erect all
poles and place all necessary facilities for sewerage, water, gas,
heating or lighting upon 30 days notice from the Town Council to perform
such work, the same to be placed in such manner as the Town Engineer
or the Superintendent of Public Works shall designate.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 17; as amended by Ord. 974,
5/9/2016]
Any person or corporation desiring to make any excavation in
the street of the Town of Bloomsburg shall, prior to the making of
such excavation and the issuing of a permit thereof, furnish such
security for the repair and replacement of such street as shall be
satisfactory to the Town Council.
[Ord. 611, 5/5/1975, § 18, as amended by Ord. 641,
10/9/1978; by Ord. 841, 12/19/2001; and by Ord. 974, 5/9/2016]
Any person violating any part of this Part shall, upon conviction
thereof in a summary proceeding, be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding
$1,000, to be paid to the use of the Town of Bloomsburg, together
with costs of prosecution, or be imprisoned for not more than 10 days,
or both; provided, further, that each day that a violation of this
Part continues shall constitute a separate offense.