Regular maintenance of pavement includes repair of utility cuts and potholes or patching other age related defects. Anyone required or requesting to disturb the pavement or curbing is required to obtain a permit from the City Licensing and Permitting Department. The persons or contractors performing the utility cut are required to repair the street back to original condition and in accordance with approved excavation and backfill procedures. Should it be necessary to disturb or remove the concrete curb and gutter, the repair or replacement must according to the approved.
Alleys are maintained by grading and installing base course prepared fill. This repair is renewable since it can be re-graded easily and is easy to repair incase it must be dug up for sewer or utility access. Some older alleys have been chip sealed with asphalt and gravel. Excess vegetation and lack of edge containment have caused them to become narrow and overgrown. Additional asphalt in these areas is not cost effective.
Potholes and patching are repaired as quickly as possible when they are called in by a concerned citizen. The patching crew has a normal route that will take them to every area of the city monthly. This monthly route follows the street sweeping schedule. You may report potholes by calling your Public Works Department at 885-6262.
Litter control is provided throughout the city. Normal street litter is confined to the area from curb to curb. Public areas with excessive litter, or those areas without a responsible owner, can be cleaned by contacting Community Service personnel at Public Works. Residents are responsible for litter in their yard or in the parkway (the area between the sidewalk and the curb). It is illegal for anyone to dump litter on the street or in public areas. Litter is construed (by City ordinance) as trash, glass bottles, glass, nails, tacks, wire, cans, or injurious material. Part of the definition of trash includes collections of ash, dirt, yard trimmings or other rubbish.
Drains are areas of public right-of-way that have been reserved for removal of storm water runoff. Most often, these are surface water runoff ditches or channels. They are subject to weeds and trash accumulation and must be cleaned regularly. To report a problem area or request work on a particular area, please contact your Public Works Department.
Mowing Easements
The City maintains certain easements and road shoulders on a regular basis during the growing season. A tractor mounted brush hog mower is used to clear unimproved city property and other public areas. Grass areas and City parks are maintained by the Parks Department.
Tree and vegetation removal
Pruning of trees overhanging the street or covering traffic control signs must be completed by the owner according to City ordinance. This includes trees that are in a yard or in the parkway (the area between the sidewalk and the curb). Pruning and removal of dead trees on public right-of-way can be achieved by contacting your Public Works Department. Grass growing in the street next to the curb is a serious problem since it destroys the asphalt and is difficult to remove and repair. The City has a spraying program and regularly sprays broadspectrum postemergence herbicide (Roundup) on the actively growing vegetation.
Sidewalk maintenance of City owned sidewalks has been a problem in the past. Heaved or broken sidewalks can be a tripping hazard even if they are only an inch high. The City recently purchased a concrete milling machine that can grind away the offsets and repair the offset without completely removing and replacing the concrete slabs. This is a brand new program and we should see a lot of improvement in the next several months.
Snow and ice removal is accomplished by spreading road salt on the frozen areas to melt them. This is usually begun at the first sign of freezing on the bridges including the CID bridges. It them moves to areas with steep slopes and finally to problem areas with black ice or dangerous intersections. The City has pickup mounted broadcast spreaders as a cost effective solution to the rare instances of excessive ice on the streets.