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Town of Wakefield, MA
Middlesex County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
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[Adopted 6-1-1992 ATM by Art. 37 as Ch. VI, Secs. 1, 8, 9 and 18 of the 1992 Bylaws]
[Amended 11-5-2018 RTM by Art. 14]
A. 
No person, except duly authorized officers of the Department of Public Works (the "Department") in the lawful performance of their duties and those acting under their orders, shall place, erect or add any object or structure to any sidewalk or street or any part thereof so as to obstruct the same or break or dig the ground of the same without first obtaining written permit from the Department of Public Works.
B. 
The permit applicant will be required to pay a Life Cycle Maintenance Fee to the Department to offset the reduction in service life of the roadway caused by an applicant's utility cut. The fee will be assessed based on the following formula:
Life Cycle Maintenance Fee = [(SFTI x UC) + MF] x RSR
Where:
SFTI = Applicant's Trench Impact to Road (square feet)
UC = Unit Cost of Trench ($8/square foot)
MF = Mobilization Fee ($575)
RSR = Roadway Surface Rating from the Town's Pavement Management Software (expressed as a percentage, 0% to 100%)
C. 
The Department shall also prepare and issue written regulations to ensure that the Town will not be adversely affected by the cost of maintenance caused by the applicant. Said regulations shall also require the applicant to restore all disturbed portions of the way to a minimum of Department of Public Works standard specifications or prior conditions, whichever is the higher standard.
[Amended 11-5-2018 RTM by Art. 14]
Every person intending to erect, repair or take down any building on land abutting on any street or way which the Town is required to keep in repair and who desires to make use of any portion of said street or way for the purpose of placing therein building materials or rubbish shall give notice thereof to the Department of Public Works. The Department may grant a permit to occupy a portion of said street or way, and such permit shall be upon the condition that the licensee shall keep sufficient safety protections that at a minimum meet industry standards, comply with the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices requirements or as specified by the Department near the parts of the street or way obstructed or unsafe and shall keep a railing or guard around the same while such obstruction shall continue. If in the opinion of the Department such obstruction is more than a brief condition, the licensee shall place a good temporary walk around said obstruction and at the completion of the work shall restore the street or way to its former condition.
[Amended 11-5-2018 RTM by Art. 14]
Before receiving a license as specified in the preceding sections, the person applying for the same shall deliver to the Department a surety company bond in an amount deemed sufficient by the Department to indemnify and save harmless the Town against damages by reason of cost or expense it may suffer or be put to by reason of any claim for damages or by reason of any proceedings, criminal or civil, on account of the existence of such obstruction or excavation, which amount shall be not less than $5,000.
[Amended 11-5-2018 RTM by Art. 14]
No person shall obstruct or block a private way with a vehicle or any other means so as to prevent access by fire apparatus or equipment to any multiple-family residential building, industrial property, commercial property, schools or places of public assembly. No person shall obstruct or park a vehicle in any fire lane, such fire lanes to be designated by the Chief of the Fire Department and posted as such, said fire lanes to be a distance of twelve (12) feet from the curbing of a sidewalk or, if no sidewalk exists, the distance shall be twenty (20) feet from the front wall of a building. The owner of record of any building designated by the Chief of the Fire Department, or his designee, shall provide and install signs and road markings, said signs to be no less than twelve by eighteen (12 x 18) inches and to read "fire lane-no parking." Any object or vehicle obstructing or blocking any fire lane or private way may be ordered removed or towed by the town, under the direction of a police officer, at the expense of the owner and without liability to the Town of Wakefield.