[Adopted as §§ 6-3-1 and 6-3-2 of the 2004
Code]
A.
Permit required.
(1)
No person, partnership, utility or corporation, or their agents or
employees or contractors, shall make or cause to be made any opening,
excavation or boring in or under any public street, public road, public
alley, public way, public ground, public sidewalk or Town-owned easement
or fill or alter any culvert or construct or install additions or
extensions to its existing facilities within the Town of Vinland without
a permit therefor from the Town Chairperson or Zoning Administrator,
or their designee.[1]
(2)
The utility or contractor shall submit to the Town a written request for a utility construction/street excavation permit and a plan of the proposed alteration, boring, extension or addition, showing its location and details of construction, including specified depth, method of excavation, open out or auguring, provisions of restoration and whatever the Town would deem necessary for review and consideration. In being issued a permit, the utility or contractor agrees to be bound by the regulations of this section and § 358-18.
B.
Fee. The fee for an excavation or opening permit shall be in accordance
with the Town Board's current fee schedule. The fee shall be paid
to the Town Clerk, who shall issue a receipt therefor.
C.
Insurance required. A permit shall be issued only upon condition
that the applicant submit to the Town satisfactory written evidence
that applicant has in force and will maintain during the time the
permit is in effect public liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000
per one person, $1,000,000 for one accident and property damage coverage
of not less than $1,000,000.
D.
Bond.
(1)
Before a permit for excavating, boring or opening any street or public
way may be issued, the applicant must sign a statement in that he
will indemnify and save harmless the Town of Vinland and its officers
from all liability for accidents and damage caused by any of the work
covered by his permit, and that he/she may leave site as near as can
be to the state and condition in which he/she found it, and keep and
maintain the same in such condition, normal wear and tear excepted,
to the satisfaction of the Town Board for a period of one year, and
that he/she will pay all fines imposed upon him for any violations
of any rule, regulation or ordinance governing street openings or
drainlaying adopted by the Town Board and will repair any damage done
to existing improvements during the progress of the excavation in
accordance with the ordinances, rules and regulations of the Town.
Such statement shall also guarantee that, if the Town shall elect
to make the street repair, the person opening the street will pay
all costs of making such repair and maintaining the same for one year.
(2)
Whenever the Town Board shall find that any such work has become
defective within one year of the date of completion, it shall give
written notice thereof to the contractor, stating the defect, the
work to be done, the cost thereof, and the period of time deemed by
the Town Board to be reasonably necessary to complete said work. After
receipt of such notice, the contractor or the surety must, within
the time specified, repair the defect or indemnify the Town for the
cost of doing the work as set forth in the notice.
A.
Frozen ground. No openings in the streets, alleys, sidewalks or public
ways shall be permitted when the ground is frozen, except where it
is deemed necessary by the Town Chairperson or Town Supervisors, or
their designee.
B.
Removal of paving. In any openings or excavation, all paving materials
shall be removed with the least possible loss of or injury to surfacing
materials and together with the excavated materials from the opening
shall be placed so as to cause the least practicable inconvenience
to the public and permit free flow of water along gutters.
C.
Protection of public.
(1)
Every opening and excavation shall be enclosed with sufficient barriers.
Sufficient warning lights shall be kept on from sunset to sunrise.
Such lights shall be spaced so as to give warning of the existence
of the opening and of piled excavated materials. No open-flame warning
pots shall be used. Except by special permission from the Town, no
trench shall be excavating more than 250 feet in advance of pipe or
conduit laying nor left unfilled more than 500 feet where pipe or
conduit has been laid.
(2)
All necessary precautions shall be taken to guard the public effectively
from accidents or damage to persons or property through the period
of work. Each person making such opening shall be held liable for
all damages, including costs incurred by the Town in defending any
action brought against it for damages, as well as cost of any appeal,
that may result from the neglect by such person or his employees of
any necessary precaution against injury or damage to persons, vehicles
or property of any kind.
D.
Replacing street surface. In opening any public street, public alley,
public sidewalk, public way, public easement or public ground, the
paving materials, sand, gravel and earth or other material moved or
penetrated and all surface monuments or hubs must be removed and replaced
as nearly as possible in their original condition or position and
the same relation to the remainder as before. Any excavated material
which, in the opinion of the Town, is not suitable for refilling shall
be replaced with approved backfill material. All rubbish shall be
immediately removed. In refilling the opening, the earth must be laid
in layers not more than six inches in depth, and each layer mechanically
rammed or tamped to prevent after-settling. When the sides of the
trench will not stand perpendicular, sheathing and braces must be
used to prevent caving. No timber, bracing, lagging, sheathing or
other lumber shall be left in any trench. Trenches shall be compacted
to 95% modified proctor, with test results from a certified soil tester
filed with the Town Clerk, County Engineer or consultant. The Town
may elect to have the opening for any street or sidewalk repaired
by the Town, in which case the cost of making such repair and of maintaining
it for one year shall be charged to the person making the street opening.
E.
Notice. It shall be the duty of the permittee to notify the Town
Chairperson and/or Town Clerk, County Engineer or consultant when
requested by the Town, and all private individuals, firms and corporations
affected by the work to be done, at least 24 hours before such work
is to commence. The Clerk and/or Chairperson, or the County Engineer
or consultant when requested by the Town, shall also be notified at
least four hours prior to backfilling and/or restoring the surface.
F.
Validity of permit. Unless the work shall be commenced within 30
days of the issuance of the permit, the permit shall be void, and
a new permit must be obtained and an additional fee charged. The Town
may extend the time limitation for good cause. The utility or contractor
shall have present at the site of construction and during the restoration
period a copy of the construction plans and Town permit.
G.
Backfilling. Reconstruction shall be in accordance with the current
cross section or according to Town standards, whichever is stricter.
If the surface is not restored as required, the Town may restore the
surface and bill the permittee therefor; the Town shall perform such
work and bill the cost thereof to the permittee.
H.
Emergency excavation. In the event of an emergency, any person, firm
or corporation owning or controlling any sewer, gas main, water main,
conduit or other utility in or under any public street, alley easement,
way or ground and his agents and employees may take immediate proper
emergency measures to remedy dangerous conditions for the protection
of property, life, health or safety without obtaining an excavation
permit, provided that such person, firm or corporation shall apply
for an excavation permit no later than the next business day.
I.
Excavation in new streets limited. Whenever the Town Board determines
to provide for the permanent improvement or repaving of any street,
such determination shall be made not less than 30 days before the
work of improvement or repaving shall begin. Immediately after such
determination by the Town Board, the Town shall notify in writing
each person, utility, Town department or other agency owning or controlling
any sewer, water main, conduit or other utility in or under said street
or any real property abutting said street that all such excavation
work in such street must be completed within 90 days. After such permanent
improvement or repaving, no permit shall be issued to open or excavate
said street for a period of five years after the date of improvement
or repaving unless, in the opinion of the Town Board, an emergency
exists which makes it absolutely essential that the permit be issued.
