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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Rochester City Council voted last night to approve a more than $1.7 million contract for sidewalk repairs and improvements in southeast Rochester.

It marked the first time the city has approved a project under the new Sidewalk Improvement District policy that was approved last fall. The bid from Ti-Zack construction was the lowest submitted by the three firms that submitted proposals for the projects, which will mainly involve sidewalk panel replacements and the installation or replacement of pedestrian ramps in an area of southeast Rochester mainly bordered by Broadway, Highway 14, 15th Avenue and 4th Street.

City of Rochester
City of Rochester
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In the past, individual property owners were required to cover the costs of sidewalk repairs, which left some property owners with thousands of dollars in extra assessments. The new Sidewalk Improvement District plan will spread the costs among the more than 7100 property owners in southeast Rochester over the next five years. The majority of residential property owners in the southeast quadrant will be asked to pay about $48.50 per year to pay for sidewalk improvements. Residential property owners without existing sidewalks will be assessed an annual fee of $25.26 and nonresidential property owners will pay $141.56 each year for the next five years.

A portion of the costs will also be covered through the City's Storm Water Utility Fund, the city's 2023 allotment for the annual sidewalk program, and ADA transition plan funds.

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