SIDEWALKS

Wooden sidewalks posed continuous maintenance problems. Photo: Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, KS

SIDEWALKS. Dubuque residents as early as the 1800s were held responsible for the maintenance of sidewalks in front of their property. The locations of sidewalks needing repair were listed in the newspaper. The width of sidewalks was debatable.

The fear of CHOLERA led to city-wide cleaning activities in 1866. Sidewalks were the focus of attention as well as ALLEYS. Residents were told to clear their sidewalks of boxes and rubbish so "as not to impede locomotion." (1)

Editorials of 1872 agreed with property owners on less traveled streets that sidewalks of six or eight feet in width were just as good as those constructed ten to twelve feet wide. On November 30, 1872 the Dubuque Herald announced a series of lots that would be sold to cover the cost of constructing sidewalks. (2)

The removal of snow was a particular focus of Mayor Christopher H. BERG.

On June 1, 1895 a series of fourteen "Sidewalk Notices" appeared in the Dubuque Herald. All ended with the city of Dubuque affected and all began in the same manner: (3)

                Sidewalk Notice
                Resolved, By the City Council of the City of Dubuque: That a
                sidewalk four feet wide, of good two-inch plank, brick, stone
                or cement, be, within fifteen days of this notice, constructed
                and laid in conformity with the ordinance in relation to
                                     sidewalks on both sides of....(names of streets) where not
                                     already laid, at the expense of the abutting property.

Additional notices following the same format appeared in 1897. These tended to be in residential areas and were generally 6 feet in width. (4)

In May 1901, Augustin A. COOPER was notified that he would have to appear and defend in the case brought against the city by a citizen injured on a defective sidewalk on the Cooper premises along West 5th. This was the first time the city had used its power to compel property owners to defend in cases of injury where the property owner had been negligent in keeping the sidewalks in good condition. (5) Repair of sidewalks resulted in unexpected problems. When removed during sidewalk repair old boards with nails were occasionally thrown into the street laming animals. (6)

Wooden sidewalks posed continuous maintenance problems for city residents during the 1800s. Residents were often slow in clearing areas near their homes and businesses.

The issue of "permanent" sidewalks was addressed by the city council in 1915. These sidewalks varied in width from 4, 6, 8 or 12 feet in width abutting city lots and were to be made of cement or artificial stone. (7)

In June 1983 Spechtenhauser fell on a sidewalk near Grandview Avenue at Delhi. (8) In 1986 her $38,304 jury award resulted in the City of Dubuque being found responsible for regularly inspecting and supervising its sidewalks. The Iowa Supreme Court upheld the lower court ruling in July 1986. (9)

As a result of the award, the city named its sidewalk inspector by August, 1988 from a pool of city employees for applied for the job. The city administration announced plans to implement policies for the program. One proposal was to use local sales tax proceeds to pay of portion of sidewalk repairs. At the present time, property owners were responsible for the entire cost of replacing defective sidewalks. The cost was estimated at $32 per slab. (10)

Changes in city ordinances were also planned to bring the city in compliance with new state laws. Cities had been given the right to file special property tax assessments against properties where the city performed inspector-ordered improvements that the property owner had refused to make. The city had relied on liens to pay for the work. (11)

The city's 350 miles of sidewalks would initially be inspected by one full-time employee. During the summer of 1989 two seasonal workers would help with inspections or follow-up work on the inspector's orders. It was estimated that the inspector would need four to five years to review all the sidewalks--including the city-owned stairways. Property owners would have 30 days to perform the work ordered. If the owner failed to complete the work, the city would hire a contractor. (12)

In 2018 the issue of sidewalks along Kennedy Road, an issue that had been raised in 2007, was again brought to the city council. The issue in 2018 was construction of sidewalks between Asbury Road and the NORTHWEST ARTERIAL. Editorials in the Telegraph Herald had supported the construction. In 2018 the council in a unanimous vote rejected the plan and sided with the property owners in the area who cited the cost and need for snow removal. (13)

---

Source:

1. "Clean the Sidewalks," Dubuque Herald, April 24, 1866, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18660424&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

2. "Sidewalk Sale," Dubuque Herald, November 30, 1872, p 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18721130&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

3. "Sidewalk Notice," The Dubuque Herald, June 1, 1895, p. 6

4. "City Council Proceedings," The Dubuque Herald, August 24, 1897, p. 11

5. "Cooper Must Appear," Dubuque Daily Telegraph, May 1, 1901, p. 2

6. "Bad Practice," Dubuque Herald, September 123 1872, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18720912&printsec=frontpage&hl=en

7. "City Council Proceedings," Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, May 4, 1915, p. 10

8. Kirchen, Rich, "Councilmen Harden Views on City Sidewalk Inspection," Telegraph Herald, September 16, 1988, p. 3

9. Kirchen, Rich, "Ready to Walk---and Walk," Telegraph Herald, August 21, 1988, p. 44

10. Ibid.

11. Ibid.

12. Ibid.

13. "Kennedy Road Sidewalks Needed," (editorial), Telegraph Herald, February 23, 2018, p. 4

Brick sidewalks are rare in the twentieth-first century.

See: SIDEWALK MARKERS