Resident Angry After New Paltz Sidewalk Ripped Up Without Warning

Would you be angry if you walked outside and your sidewalk looked like this one in New Paltz, NY with no warning?

If you are lucky enough to live in a Hudson Valley neighborhood that has sidewalks (not all have them) would you be upset if you woke up to your sidewalk looking like the one pictured below from a New Paltz, New York street without being notified the work was being done?

Sidewalk Ripped Up With No Warning in New Paltz, NY

A resident who lives on Prospect Street in New Paltz is wondering why he walked out of his house last week only to see that the sidewalk was in pieces. He took to social media saying,

"I want to know why I had zero say in this, zero warning, and zero consideration."

 

As you can see from the pictures above the sidewalk appears to be in the process of being replaced and was unpassable at the time the resident went to leave his building last week. Soon after saying something on Facebook, many began posting responses with various answers including some saying that the town/village should at least notify people in advance who live in an area that's having the sidewalks replaced.

One comment said,

"seems reasonable to inform people that the work will affect an entrance to their home."

 

SEE ALSO: Popular New Paltz Bar Ends Lengthy Legal Battle

Many pointed out that there could be a couple of reasons why the resident had no notification with one being that if he rents an apartment at the location the building owner might have been notified and didn't pass along the information. The other reason could be because the town/village owns the sidewalk and has "10 feet from the road to do whatever they like" according to a posted comment. Others reminded the resident, "Give it a few days and you’ll have a brand new sidewalk."

Who Owns the Sidewalk in New York?

Almost every Hudson Valley town owns the sidewalks in each neighborhood so at the end of the day they can handle repairs any way they'd like although residents that have a sidewalk in front of their homes are required to keep them clear and clean from debris including snow and leaves.

Regardless of the sidewalk rules, I do think many of us can agree that if we were to walk outside and see our sidewalk look like this with no warning, we would be upset as well.