The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-05-02
Drastic Measure in Regard to
Building Sidewalks in the City
Goes Into Effect Today
ALL WALKS TO BE OF CEMENT
City Is Given Wide Powers to Regulate
the Building and Grades of Walks
by the New Ordinance 1t
Needs Careful Study

The new sidewalk ordinance, one
of the most important ordinances
ever passed by Common Council in
Kenosha, became law by publica-
ton in the Telegraph Courier, the
official paper of the city, today, and
from now on all walks built in the
city must be built IN keeping with the
provisions of the ordinance.
The ordinance marks the begin
ming of new era in the history of
sidewalks in Kenosha, and its strict
observance by the men with the po-
lice powers of the city will mean
much to the future appearance of the
city. The first provision of the new
law is, that in the future every walk
must be of cement, and the formula is
given in the ordinance. Wood walks
which are now in existence may be
repaired so long as the stringers are
good, but when these stringers give
out it will be the duty of the property
owner to put down a cement walk, as
described in the ordinance. The sec
ond purpose of the ordinance is to
make all walks on the different
streets of uniform width.
On streets fifty feet in width or
under the walks must be built to a
width of FIVE feet and on all streets
over fifty feet the walks must be six
feet in width. These rules do not
apply to the streets in the business
sections of the city for IN these sec
tons all walks must extend from the
buildings to the curb lines. The pre-
sent cement walks which are of less
width than demanded by the ordin-
ance will not be distur bed, bat as soon
as they are rebuilt they must come
up to the regulations of the ordin-
ances. In case the ordinance is not
obeyed by the property owner the city
is given the right to tear out the work
done by the property owner and re-
place it with walk that will be in
keeping with the ordinance and the
cost of tearing out the former walk
and putting in new one under the
provisions of the ordinance may be
charged to the taxes of the property
owner.
Not the least of the provisions of
the new ordinance is the provision for
the establishment of uniform grade
on all streets not now improved. Ia
the future when street is improved
by the city the grade for the street
will be given and ii will be the duty
of all property owners to bring their
sidewalks to this grade. In the past
the utter disregard of grades has made
many defects in the city sidewalk
system, but this will not occur in the
future. The City Council has re-
Gently passed an ordinance fixing the
grade of every street in the civ and
on this ordinance the grades will be
based in the future. When a prop
erty owner decides to build walk he
must secure the grade from the city
engineer and the walk must be built
to that grade regardless of the grades
of the walks IN the neighborhood.
The committee on streets and alleys
in the near future will send a COM
munication to the Council asking that
an ordinance be passed demanding the
laying Of large number of new side
walks, and all of these walks must
come under the new ordinance.
At the last meeting of the City
Council plan was discussed to en-
p1oy a man as street commissioner
whose whole time shall be given to
the building and repairing of side
walks. This matter will probably be
taken up at the next meeting of the
Council.