Supervisors hear liability concerns over sidewalks

By Brooks Taylor, Mt. Pleasant News

Henry County supervisors figuratively took a stroll on the sidewalks of Mt. Union Tuesday.

Joe Buffington, county director of planning and zoning, visited with the board during its regular meeting about liability concerns over Mt. Union sidewalks, now that the community has become unincorporated.

Buffington said there are about 7,700 feet of sidewalks in Mt. Union and as of now, the county has liability should an accident occur on the sidewalk.

?It is our problem now and how do we want to address it?? Buffington asked. ?We definitely want to think about the liability issue. If we would pass an ordinance saying that it (the sidewalk) is the responsibility of the abutting property owner, it gets the county off the hook.?

The county official said he is not qualified to inspect sidewalks but remarked that most of the sidewalks in Mt. Union probably were poured in the 1940s and are two-feet wide. ?We should have the sidewalks inspected and should have a plan on sidewalk improvements.?

County Engineer Jake Hotchkiss said he would check with other counties with communities that dissolved on how the potential problem was handled.

Buffington also distributed the City of Mt. Pleasant?s sidewalk ordinance. The ordinance says that if the property owner doesn?t replace sidewalk determined to be deteriorating, the city will replace it and assess the property owner.

?I just want to make you aware of it,? Buffington told the supervisors. ?Chances are if we don?t do something, they will do what they?ve done for 70 years?We can?t just say it is your (property owner?s) responsibility and walk away. I just don?t want the county to have any liability.?

Hotchkiss, in his weekly report to the board, said the secondary-roads workers are nearly finished with filling cracks on county roads and should be done by the end of the week.

?Overall it went well,? he reflected on the crack sealing. ?The traffic was responsive to the workers which was appreciated.?

Next up for the engineering department will be replacing crossroad pipes on county roads, he said, as thoughts turn to spring. ?It?s spring now, and we should be at the end of the snow.?

In addition to the crack sealing, road maintenance last week included inspecting culverts for routine maintenance; working on signs; and completing miscellaneous cold patching in the county.

Over 20 applications have been received for the vacant motor grader operator position, working from the Salem maintenance shed. Hotchkiss said he is reviewing applications and will be setting up interviews over the next two weeks.

Supervisors meet again in regular session Thursday, March 23, at 9 a.m., in the Henry County Courthouse.