RES PUBLICA - Gloversville, NY Edition

After a nearly four year absence, Gloversville's sidewalk program was given new life in July 2007. Unfortunately, it was something of a spur of the moment decision and forced the DPW Director, Bob Abel, to resurrect the last method of making this program work - the lottery.

A lottery is a generally inefficient method of disseminating rare funds for sidewalk work. Even if controls are put in place for income and type of property, it relies heavily on a newspaper whose circulation extends to only a rough one third of the total Gloversville population. Even if advertising in one or more of the local radio stations is added, it is still hit or miss whether those who really need the program will find out about it in time to apply.

It was recognized as early as July 2007 that Gloversville's infrastructural decay was advanced enough that council members really needed to hit the street and personally do a written assessment. So I did. What I found was a significant number of properties in Ward 2 alone that were in desperate need of replacement. Allowing for the usual income and property type restrictions there were still a number of qualifying properties available in need of this service.

Unbenownst to me, and despite the fact there had been some discussion of reviewing the process used in determining sidewalk eligibility, the program was put in place anyway, citizens signed up for the program and, wouldn't you know it, not a single one of the worst sidewalks in Ward 2 were represented by the names on the list. Why? Because those people are apparently not plugged in to the media forums in which the program was disseminated.

Today, Gloversville has a great bonus in the form of a $75,000 grant long in existence but utterly forgotten about until just a few months ago. A vast upswing in the sidewalk situation is now possible. All that remains is to decide how it will happen.

So, are we going to do the same thing over and over and over again and expect a different result? Or are we going to learn from history, realize that those who are most in need are likely the least plugged in to sources of information, and actually have the council members determine the sidewalk most in need of repair so that everyone who truly needs it can be considered.

A program that establishes income eligibility and property limitations coupled with a little leg work on the part of each ward's council member would allow for a fantastic dent in Gloversville's sidewalk disaster.

But there's more. Many of the sidewalks that need to be repaired border on city-owned properties, businesses, and homes that usually do not qualify, such as multiple dwellings.

Here we have a dilemma. The purpose of sidewalks is to provide safe pedestrian transit, and that is the program goal the city is charged with by the New York State Department of Transportation. Ignoring a huge swath of the sidewalks of the city in desperate need of repair simply because of the ownership of property might seem wise in a technical sense, but isn't going to help little Johnny or Great Aunt Emma when they fall and break a bone on those ostensibly "public" rights of way.

Some thought, I believe, needs to be made toward holding back a third, or a half, of the grant to fix even these sidewalks. Should the city recoup the money from those who don't qualify? Absolutely. However, pedestrian safety really ought to be the most important consideration in this process.

As I write this, I have no idea what the new council's sub-committee has decided. I can only hope their focus is on safety, and not just fund distribution. Fund distribution entirely misses the point.

Lance