Most property owners in the Beaumont-Wilshire neighborhood are aware that they are responsible and liable for maintaining their sidewalks as per Chapter 17.28.020 of the City Code: Responsibility for Sidewalks and Curbs (tinyurl.com/wmwchwnn).
The rationale for making property owners responsible for the upkeep of their sidewalks is similar to that which makes property owners responsible for the trees growing in their parking strips: Keeping sidewalks in good condition and providing a green canopy both promote a healthy community. Ironically, it is often the roots of our beloved trees that break through the concrete of the sidewalks and make sidewalks hazardous for people of all ages and abilities — whether or not they use wheelchairs or other assistive devices.
Keeping a sidewalk in good condition can cost the property owner quite a bit of money — between $8 and $12 per square foot to replace a basic concrete slab. But because property owners are responsible for maintaining their sidewalk, they can choose to do the work themselves or at least leave their mark in the wet concrete after the pros have completed the job.
One sidewalk that makes it clear the homeowners maintained the concrete in front of their home themselves is on NE 43rd Avenue. Faded by weather and wear, a square of concrete declares in free-hand capital letters:
THIS CONCRETE POURED BY TWO MANLY MEN
On an adjacent concrete square are two small handprints, one a little larger than the other, each, we would guess, belonging to one of the two “manly men.” Names were once readable beside each of them, but now the only thing clearly written is the number “94.” We might conclude that the “two manly men” poured the concrete for the sidewalk in 1994. That family’s maintenance of their sidewalk has been there for all of us to enjoy for thirty years. Those “two manly men” have probably moved on from that home now, but the fruit of their labor — a concrete sidewalk in good condition — is still there for all to use and offers concrete evidence of two young boys contributing to a healthy community.
Pamela Plimpton, a B-W resident since 1980, retired as a professor of English in 2020. Her interests include reading, writing, gardening, and singing with a community chorale. She and her husband enjoy playing golf, working out at the N.E. Community Center, traveling, and grandparenting their granddaughter.