NORWICH – Although many sidewalks in Norwich are badly in need of maintenance, a new plan may leave many city residents seeing red, when they realize who will have to fork over the green. The Department of Public Works unveiled a proposal for a sidewalk replacement program at its last meeting on Aug. 24.

Carl Ivarson, superintendent of public works, outlined the details of the plan. He stated that while the sidewalk replacement plan will be mandatory, the responsibility for replacing the sidewalks does not lie with the city, but with the homeowner. The Common Council’s six aldermen will each take an in-depth look at their wards and determine which blocks are most in need of repair. This project will take years to be completed, and not all blocks will be done at once.

The sidewalk replacement is only required if the pre-existing sidewalk is not up to par with DPW standards. If your sidewalk is in poor condition or if it has been covered with blacktop for a driveway, it will not meet those standards.