John Street sidewalk project at a halt — for now

Warwick — Work on the John Street sidewalk project hasn’t gotten very far since it began in December. Demolition work was started and trenches were dug in order to improve drainage. But that’s about it. The trenches remain open — and a liability to the village. Mayor Michael Newhard said if the contractor won’t finish the work, the village Department of Public Works will. “Because of the exposure and the liability to the village, the DPW will fill in the trenches and the contractor will have to redo the work on his own dime,” said Newhard. Trustee Roger Metzger asked if there is a bond covering the work by the contractor. Commonly, a contractor has to put a certain amount of money —a bond — in an escrow account that may be used if the job is not completed to the standards of the village. There is indeed a bond posted, and Metzger suggested the village hire another contractor to fill in the trenches and level them with that bond money. Village attorney Michael Meth, however, recommended that the village give written notification to the contractor that this is the village’s plan, giving them 24 hours from receipt of the letter. On Monday night, Village engineer Michael Murphy said he spoke with the contractor, New York Earth and Structure from New Windsor, on Friday. The contractor assured Murphy that the trenches would be filled by Monday. That didn’t happen. As part of the village’s sidewalk refurbishment project, thanks to funding through the county’s Community Development program, several sidewalks in the village have been rebuilt. John Street is the latest; others include Factory, Van Buren, and Howe streets. Work on First Street also has begun, with survey work completed and an early summer start date planned.