The owner or owners of any lot or lots in the Borough of Langhorne fronting on any street or streets in said Borough may brick instead of paving the sidewalks and gutters in front of and along the property owned by them on any such street or streets in accordance with the provisions and specifications hereinafter contained and ,upon failure of any owner or owners to comply with the provisions of this article, the said Borough of Langhorne shall enter upon and construct the curbing and paving or bricking and enter the cost thereof, together with 10% additional as a lien against the property.
[Adopted 8-12-1992]
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
A.
Materials. Only brick pavers and mortar approved by the Borough of Langhorne Building Inspector may be used. Premolded expansion joint filler shall be used if bricks are cemented into place.
B.
Sample portion or construction profile. The owner shall construct a sample portion (minimum three feet by four feet) of brick paving, as shown on the drawing referred to hereafter,[1] for the Borough of Langhorne Building Inspector's review and approval. In lieu of a sample portion, the owner may submit a profile drawing, a plan view drawing, and a sample brick for review and approval. All further construction shall be done in accordance with the sample portion which shall serve as the standard or in accordance with the proposed plans.
[1]
Editor's Note: Said drawing is included as an attachment to this chapter.
C.
Procedure. The owner shall not set bricks with chipped or broken edges at the surface; shall tamp bricks to finished grade; shall saw bricks as required to fit; and shall not break bricks. After mortar sets or sand is spread, owner shall brush surface of brick paving with fine sand to fill vertical joints and wash with fine spray of water. The owner shall repeat brushing and washing until all joints are filled and remove excess sand and all mortar stains from surface of brick paving. The surface of brick paving shall conform to required lines and grades. The owner shall reset existing vents, valve box covers, gratings, cellar doorways, manhole covers, etc., to remain as required to meet grade of new brick paving.
D.
Drainage. All brick sidewalks shall be constructed so as to provide for proper drainage toward the curbline wherever possible. Stormwater runoff shall not be directed toward adjacent properties.
E.
Specifications. All construction shall comply with the following requirements:
(1)
The minimum width of each panel shall be four feet.
(2)
Premolded expansion joints shall be placed every eight feet.
(3)
No. 15 building felt shall be placed between the layer of sand and gravel.
(4)
The subgrade shall be leveled and compacted with a mechanical tamper before four inches of crushed 2A-3/4 inches modified stone is placed onto top of the subgrade. The crushed stone layer shall be leveled and compacted with a mechanical tamper before two inches of sand is placed on the crushed stone layer.
(5)
The brick pavers shall be four inches by eight inches by 1 1/2 inches and shall be placed with 1/2-inch sand joints and laid with a 1/4-inch per foot grade to the street.
[Added at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this article shall, upon being found liable therefor, pay a fine of not more than $600, plus court costs and reasonable attorneys' fees incurred by the Borough in the enforcement proceedings. If the penalty is not paid, the Borough shall initiate a civil action for collection in accordance with the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure. Each day a violation exists shall constitute a separate offense, and each section of this article that is violated shall also constitute a separate offense. In addition to or in lieu of enforcement under this section, the Borough may enforce this article in equity in the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County.
If any section, paragraph, subsection, clause or provision of this article shall be declared by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such decision shall not affect the validity of this article as a whole or any part thereof other than that portion specifically declared invalid.