It is the intent of this article to provide regulatory and construction
standards for the installation of sidewalks in the Borough of Zelienople.
The Borough's overall goal is to provide a safe, equitable, functional,
economical, comfortable and continuous pedestrian access network.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
BRICK PAVING STRIP
The space between the detached sidewalk and curb which is
completely covered by brick paving materials consisting of standard-size
brick set in a pattern or interlocking brick products.
CURB CUT RAMP
A sloped portion of the sidewalk which permits movement from
the sidewalk elevation to the street elevation by depressing the curb.
MOWING STRIP
The open space between the detached sidewalk and curb.
PARKING LOT APRON
That portion of the parking lot extending from the parking
lot edge of the sidewalk into the parking lot.
SIDEWALK, DETACHED
A sidewalk separated from the interior edge of the curb by
a mowing strip or a brick paving strip.
SIDEWALK, WIDTH
The dimension of the sidewalk structure measured perpendicular
to the edge of the sidewalk and excluding adjacent curbs.
[Amended 7-13-1992 by Ord. No. 680; 2-8-1993 by Ord. No. 685]
Sidewalks and curb-cut ramps required by §
232-10 shall be designed in accordance with the following standards.
A. Sidewalks.
(1) All sidewalks, except for Main Street from Culvert Street to Grandview
Avenue, shall be detached sidewalks; however, the Borough may permit
attached sidewalks when existing natural or man-made conditions cause
physical constraints, such as insufficient distance between an existing
stream or structure and an existing roadway which will not accommodate
detached sidewalks.
(2) Sidewalks on Main Street from Culvert Street to Grandview Avenue
will be attached sidewalks.
(3) Detached sidewalks, with brick paving strips or mowing strips, on
Main Street from Culvert Street to Grandview Avenue, will be permitted
under the following circumstances:
(a)
The brick paving strip or mowing strip must be no more than
40 feet wide.
(b)
Detailed plans showing the type of brick to be laid, the pattern
or interlocking design of the brick, the base and subbase materials
to be used, compaction methods to be used in installing the base and
subbase materials, and all manufacturer's specifications for installation
must be submitted to the Borough Building and Codes Officer.
(c)
The Building and Codes Officer will have 30 days to approve the plans or reject same. If the plans are rejected, the Building and Codes Officer will state his reasons for rejection and recommendations for improvement. This provision supersedes §
232-13A(4).
(d)
All other installation requirements pertaining to sidewalks
as to the slope and alignment will be enforced.
(e)
In addition to the other requirements set forth in this article, the provisions of §
232-14A(1),
(2) and
(3) will be strictly enforced as to the individual bricks in the strip.
[1]
Any individual brick which exceeds the permissible alignment
limit must be replaced immediately.
[2]
If weather does not permit the immediate replacement, warnings
or barricades must be erected to protect pedestrians, and the brick
must be replaced as soon as weather permits.
(f)
Mowing strips must be planted with grass. Mowing strips must
be neatly maintained by the property owner.
(4) Property owners may install ornamental trees in the sidewalk area.
Care should be taken in planting the trees so that the tree trunk,
at its fullest growth, will not extend more than 40 feet from the
interior edge of the curb.
(a)
Property owners are hereby authorized to install ornamental
pear trees, sunburst locust trees, male ginkgo trees and linden trees.
Property owners wishing to install other trees may request approval
from Borough Council. Property owners must be able to provide detailed
information as to the ultimate height, foliage size and weather-resistant
properties of the trees.
(b)
All trees must be maintained by the property owners. Property
owners are specifically advised to avoid interference with electrical
and other utility services. Should said trees interfere with utility
service, the Borough, at its discretion, may require the property
owner to make necessary prunings or may prune the trees themselves
and place the cost thereof on the property owners.
(5) Property owners are hereby specifically prohibited from installing
electrical or other types of lamp posts in the sidewalk area. Additionally,
property owners may provide electrical services to the sidewalk area.
Electrical services must comply with electrical codes pertaining to
outside outlets and wiring. Property owners must further take care
to ensure that the electrical outlets do not create a tripping hazard.
If in the opinion of the Borough Building and Codes Officer said service
does create a tripping hazard, the Borough retains the right to require
the outlet to be removed or relocated.
B. Cut ramps.
(1) The preferred location of the ramps shall be the point of curvature
of the curb intersection radius.
(2) For the safety of the blind, the location of curb-cut ramps shall
be uniform within a general area.
[Amended 7-13-1992 by Ord. No. 680]
Construction of sidewalks and curb-cut ramps as required in §
232-10 shall conform to the following specifications. Any reference to the "Department" in Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Form 408 shall be understood to mean the Borough of Zelienople.
A. Sidewalks.
(1) Sidewalks, except on Main Street from Culvert Street to Grandview
Avenue, shall have a minimum width of four feet unless otherwise indicated
and approved by the Building Inspector.
(2) Sidewalks on Main Street from Culvert Street to Grandview Avenue
shall run from the edge of the building to the interior edge of the
curb, unless the property owner has installed a brick paving strip
or mowing strip as previously provided herein. Where there is no building
present, the sidewalk will have a minimum width of eight feet.
(3) Cross slope on sidewalks shall be as follows unless directed otherwise
to meet special requirements.
(a)
Walks abutting building structures shall slope away from the
building at a one-fourth-inch-per-foot slope.
(b)
All other walks and adjacent mowing strips shall be constructed
to discharge drainage with a one-fourth-inch-per-foot cross slope.
Mowing strips shall always drain toward the street.
(4) All sidewalks must be constructed with Class A concrete, as defined
in the 408 Manual published by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department
of Transportation.
(5) Expansion joints shall be 1/4 inch in thickness, air-entraining and
wire mesh shall be in accord with the 408 Manual.
(6) All concrete sidewalks shall have a minimum thickness of four inches,
except at driveways, where the sidewalk shall have a minimum thickness
of six inches and shall contain one layer of six-by-six W 2.9 by W
2.9 welded wire fabric.
(7) Unpaved parking lots and/or unpaved driveways must have a paved parking
lot extending into the lot a minimum of 10 feet for the entire distance
that the parking lot fronts on a sidewalk.
B. Cut ramps.
(1) Curb-cut ramps shall be constructed of concrete as specified in Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation (PennDOT) 408 Manual for Class A Concrete.
(2) Curb-cut ramps shall have a minimum width of three feet and a maximum
grade of 17%.
(3) A one-half-inch curb face with a tolerance of plus or minus 1/8 inch
in the ramp width portion of the curb cut shall be provided.
(4) The concrete shall be a minimum of four inches thick on a four-inch
subbase as required for sidewalks. The surface texture of the ramp
should be rougher than the texture used on the surrounding sidewalk
and be obtained by a course brooming, transverse to the slope of the
ramp.
(5) A one-fourth-inch expansion joint will be required where the ramp
joins any rigid pavement or structure. The top of the joint filler
shall be flush.
(6) Care should be taken to assure a uniform grade on the ramp, free
of sags and abrupt grade changes.
C. Curbs.
(1) Main Street property owners from Culvert Street to Grandview Avenue,
when replacing the sidewalks, will replace the curbs.
(2) Curbs shall be constructed of concrete as specified in Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation (PennDOT) 408 Manual for Class A Concrete.
(3) Property owner will be required to chip off the top of the existing
concrete curb to a minimum depth of 1/2 inch below the existing pavement.
(4) Property owner will drill and pin the old curb every three to four
feet with one-half-inch reinforcing bars; reinforce the new curb with
one-half-inch reinforcing bars to the middle of the new curb; construct
a new curb meeting the line and grade of the old curb or the line
and grade of the curb as may be provided by the Borough.
(5) The new concrete curb shall be bonded to the old concrete with an
epoxy bond. Such bonding material shall be approved by the Borough
Street Department before use. Construction joints shall be spaced
in uniform length and shall match existing joints in the existing
curb. Maximum spacing of joints in the existing curb. Maximum spacing
of joints shall be 15.5 feet. Contraction joints may be either hand
formed or sawed joints. They shall be three-sixteenths-inch wide and
two inches deep.
(6) Curb shall be constructed by placing concrete in forms. Concrete
curb machines shall not be approved or used. The curb shall be constructed
as per the drawing attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference
and marked Exhibit A.
(7) During the 1992 construction year, the Borough of Zelienople will
reimburse the Main Street property owners from Culvert Street to Grandview
Avenue at the rate of $5 per lineal foot for curbs. Thereafter, the
Borough will annually provide the reimbursement rate which will be
paid to the property owner for the installation of curbs.
[Amended 10-10-1994 by Ord. No. 702]
A. It is the obligation of the adjacent property owner to maintain sidewalks
and mowing strips and eliminate any conditions which, in the opinion
of the Borough, may be a hazard to the public. The following conditions
shall be considered sufficient cause for requiring repair/replacement
of sidewalks or curbs:
(1) Movement out of vertical alignment in excess of 1/2 inch resulting
in an abrupt change in height of the walking surface which causes
a tripping hazard or permits the accumulation of stormwater.
(2) The surface is broken up, pitted or disintegrating, causing a safety
hazard.
(3) Movement out of horizontal alignment in excess of 1/2 inch or any
lesser amount creating a safety hazard or drainage problem or permitting
the standing or pooling of water.
(4) Grates or metal coverings over drainage pipes which are bent or rusted
or fail to remain permanently seated and in vertical alignment with
the sidewalk.
B. The Borough shall determine the extent of repairs necessary to eliminate
hazards. When the repair work includes the removal of sidewalk, the
removal or cutback shall only be done with a saw, and the sidewalk
replacement shall follow a neat, straight line in joining old work.
C. If a property owner meets either of the two conditions set forth
herein, then the property owner may, at his own discretion, completely
eliminate the sidewalk. Either of the following conditions will permit
a property owner to remove the sidewalk, to wit:
(1) The property is on the corner lot and the sidewalk does not join
or connect with a sidewalk on the next contiguous lot. In this case,
if the sidewalk is removed, the property owner must avoid removing
or interfering with any handicap curb cut which may be present.
(2) The property is not on the corner and the sidewalk does not join
to or connect with sidewalks on both contiguous properties. However,
if a sidewalk exists on one adjoining contiguous property, then the
sidewalk must be repaired or replaced as provided for in this article,
as amended.
Within 60 days of enactment of this article, the Borough Building
and Codes Officer will inspect sidewalks in the Borough. The owners
of any sidewalks which do not comply with the provisions of this article
will receive notice from the Building and Codes Officer.
[Amended 7-13-1992 by Ord. No. 680]
A. All Main Street property owners from Culvert Street to Grandview
Avenue who receive a notification from the Building and Codes Officer
during the initial inspection period will have until October 30, 1992,
to correct the deficiencies. All other property owners will have until
October 30, 1993, to correct the deficiencies.
B. During this initial inspection, all Main Street property owners from
Grandview Avenue to Culvert Street will notify the Borough prior to
the installation of the sidewalk. The Borough, in conjunction with
the property owner, will replace the curbs, if needed.
C. After October 30, 1992, every property owner on Main Street from
Grandview Avenue to Culvert Street who received written notification
in the summer of 1992 of a defective sidewalk and has failed to repair
or replace the sidewalk in accordance with the provisions of this
article will be subject to receive a citation with a fine of $10 per
day for every day which the violation continues to exist from the
date of the written notification.
After October 1993, the Borough will annually inspect the sidewalks.
Any property owner who receives a notice from the Borough notifying
the property owner of the existence of a defective sidewalk will have
30 days to correct the hazard or to provide a written plan to the
Borough as to the manner of remediation and the timetable for same.
Failure of the property owner to cure the defect or provide a written
plan will subject the property owner to a fine in the amount of $50
per day for every day that the defective sidewalk continues to exist.
In addition thereto, the Borough, at its sole discretion, may cause
the necessary repairs to be done at the cost of the owner and may
collect costs thereon and 10% additional, together with all charges
and expenses, from the owner and may file a municipal claim therefor
or collect the same by civil action.
Upon receiving a request for a municipal lien letter incident
to the sale of real estate situate within the Borough, the Borough
will cause an inspection to be made of any sidewalk which adjoins
the property in question. If the sidewalk is found to be acceptable,
the Borough will so note on the municipal lien letter. If the sidewalk
is found to be defective, the Borough will so note in the letter and
further indicate that all necessary repairs must be made within 30
days or the Borough will undertake the necessary repairs and will
collect the costs therefor and 10% additional, together with all charges
and expenses, from the owner or new owner thereof and may file a municipal
claim therefor or collect the same by civil action.
All notices of defective sidewalks will be in writing and will
be provided to the property owner if such owner is a resident of the
Borough. If the owner is not a resident, notice shall be served upon
the agent or tenant of the owner or upon the occupant of such premises.
If the owner has no agent or tenant or there is no occupier of such
premises, then service shall be by notice posted on the premises.