sidewalk - WKTV Journal

By Maggie Carey
WKTV Contributor

The City of Wyoming does blow its sidewalks after two or more inches of snow. (WKTV/Maggie Carey)

It’s that time of year again, the winter weather is back! With that, the City of Wyoming would like to remind residents of street parking rules and snowplowing guidelines to help keep the roads clear of snow in the winter time.

It is important to note that according to the city’s website, Wyoming has approximately 250 miles (or 600 lane-miles) of streets. 44th and 28th streets are the major streets with the most traffic, meaning they are prioritized and plowed first, then collector streets, and finally, residential streets and cul-de-sacs.

City of Wyoming Winter Parking

The odd-even ordinance is in effect from Dec. 1 (Thursday) to March 31. Ensuring cars are on the correct side of the street means quicker plow times and safer commutes for residents. If the ordinance is not followed, first time offenders can be warned or even given a ticket.

So, how does the ordinance work? Match the day with the street address. On odd days, park on the side of the street that contains odd addresses (those ending in 1,3,5,7,9). On even days, park on the side of the street that contains even addresses (those ending in 0,2,4,6,8). For those who live in cul-de-sacs, you may park on the street on even days.

Cars must be on the correct side of the street from midnight to 7 p.m. and residents are encouraged to move their cars to the correct side of the street between 7 p.m. and midnight.

Sidewalks and fire hydrants

Residents are asked to help keep fire hydrants clear of snow by their homes/businesses. Local fire department officials say that having hydrants clear of snow and ice saves firefighters time when dealing with a fire. It is recommended to keep three feet of area on all sides of the fire hydrant clear of snow and ice.

The city plows sidewalks at night after there has been two or more inches of snow. Residents are asked to keep the sidewalks clear of obstructions and items (trash cans, cars, signs, etc.) to help the City of Wyoming when plowing the sidewalks.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

At a recent December workshop, residents along Wing Avenue got a little bit of good news — the city would defer most of the costs for public utilities.

In November, the Kentwood City Commission approved an amendment allowing for a farmhouse exemption with a property owner only having to pay the first 125 feet of frontage for installation of water and sewer. The rest would be deferred if the parcel were split in the future.

“Currently, many of these homes along Wing Avenue were looking at upwards to $90,000 to hook up,” aid Kentwood City Engineer Tim Bradshaw. “It brought the cost of hooking up to sewer and water down to a more reasonable price and made it comparable to having a well or septic.”

It was noted at a Dec. 5 workshop that based on City of Grand Rapids’s current rates, the connection costs for a 125-foot frontage would be about $17,050 for sewer and $15,975 for water. Those costs are only paid upon connection. According to Building Advisor, the cost of installing water and septic can be $20,000 or more.

Another cost concern was that of sidewalk and storm sewer construction. The City Commission also recently amended the city policy to no longer assess for those items if the improvements are included in the final design of Wing Avenue. Residents, however; would be required to maintain the sidewalks running along their property.

Bradshaw said at the recent workshop, residents seemed to respond well to the changes since it did reduce some of the cost concerns, however; there are still several other issues residents have including keeping the natural feel and look of the road. Impact on the trees and the natural features lead several residents to petition the city to consider designating Wing Avenue from 52nd Street to 60th Street as a Natural Beauty Road in accordance to the guidelines established by the state legislature in 1995.

Michigan’s Natural Beauty Road Act is designed to identify and preserve certain county-local roads that have unusual or outstanding natural beauty by virtue of native vegetation or the natural features. There are 34 roads in Kent County with the designation, none of which are in Kentwood.

There are several requirements including that the speed be not more than 35 mph. Wing Avenue’s current speed limit — which is determined by a Michigan State Law — is 40 mph.

The designation would not prevent tree removal when necessary for the safety and protection of the traveling public and vehicles, including improvements to the roadway and for public utility construction crossing Wing Avenue. Tree removal would not be allowed for construction of public utility alongside the road.

The Kentwood City Commission will consider the Natural Beauty Road petition at its Feb. 7 meeting. This is after the presentation by the consulting firm Fleis & VandenBrink on its final corridor study which is scheduled for Jan. 17. Fleis & VandenBrink have been tasked to study several items including public utility planning, road construction, and non-motorized needs such as sidewalk, bike lanes, etc.

At the December workshop, the consulting company indicated it would likely recommend the construction of 11-foot lanes striped at 10 feet for safety, better speed control, reduce cost and reduce tree impact over the standard 12-foot width. Also, it was indicated to use the speed of 40 mph to improve sight distances. The firm was still reviewing curb versus ditches and sidewalks/non-motorized trails.

The City Commission is expected to make a final decision on the Wing Avenue plans at its Feb. 21 meeting. Once the final scope has been determined, engineering and design work will begin. Bradshaw said the city has targeted the spring of 2018 to start construction.