City awards contract for sidewalk repairs

Lacey Jacobs

Ledger staff writer

A $104,125 contract was awarded to TK Concrete of Pella for sidewalk repairs in the 5th Ward during Monday?s meeting of the Fairfield City Council.

Residents who don?t complete required repairs by June 30 can expect to be billed $7.65 per square foot for regular sidewalk removal and replacement and $8.09 per square foot for driveways under the contract. Jerry Long of French-Reneker-Associates Inc. said the work will cost roughly $1.50 per square foot more than last year, mostly due to the increased cost of concrete.

Once the ward is completed, residents will be billed for the work and will have 30 days to pay all or some of it, with payments spread out over a 10-year period. Those eligible for either the Low-Income Housing Energy Assistance Program or low-income property tax credit can apply for financial assistance at Fairfield City Hall.

TK Concrete also was awarded the contract for the 1st Ward, which was completed during last year?s leg of the city?s sidewalk improvement plan. In general, Long said the project went well.

Inspections in the 3rd Ward will take place this year, winding down the improvement program.

Specifications for sidewalks can be obtained at city hall.

Also Monday, the city council set the spring trash and brush pickup for the week of May 4.

Only residents living on both sides of Burlington Avenue and south of Burlington Avenue will have their trash collected. Brush will be collected from both the north and south sides of Fairfield during the collection.

Although the city has enough money budgeted to cover this trash pickup, city administrator John F. Brown said the council needs to keep on eye on the tipping fees at the Southeast Iowa Multi-County Solid Waste Agency Landfill, which are set to go up $10 in July. Brown expressed concern about the city?s ability to fund further trash pickups.

For the complete article, see the Tuesday, February 24, 2009, Fairfield Ledger.