ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
The 67-foot sidewalk in the city’s Diamond District.
By THOMAS GRILLO
LYNN — The owners of a 12-room Victorian in the city’s Diamond District are getting a new sidewalk.
But it won’t cost taxpayers a dime.
The couple, whose 3,500-square-foot oceanfront home features six bedrooms and three full baths, are picking up the tab.
“People always expect the city to do everything,” said Eileen Patterson. “They have enough problems repaving streets and filling potholes. It’s in front our property and we want to do our part.”
It all started earlier this spring when Patterson, an interior designer, and her husband, John Sherman, a retired Suffolk University Law School professor, set their sights on redoing their driveway. At the time, it was cracked, portions had become loose and the time to replace it had arrived.
But as couple examined the 67-foot stretch of sidewalk in front of their one-family dwelling, they saw more cracked concrete, displaced blacktop and an accident waiting to happen.
“It was dangerous, so we thought why not continue it to the corner of Lynn Shore Drive,” said Sherman.
The other reason they did it was because neighbors of the Diamond District try to keep their homes in tip-top shape, said Patterson.
“A group of residents got together and planted trees on Wolcott Road,” she said. “Everyone is trying to keep the neighborhood nice.”
Patterson and Sherman credited City Council President and Ward 3 Councilor Darren Cyr for guiding them through the approval process.
Cyr said it’s a lot quicker for homeowners to get sidewalk improvements made when they hire their own contractor.
“If they went through the city it would take a while,” he said. “They would go on a list and DPW would get to it when they can.”
The couple received a permit from the city’s Department of Public Works (DPW) and hired Stonescape Works, a Swampscott contractor, to install the gray and beige pavers.
DPW Commissioner Andrew Hall said it’s very rare for a homeowner to pick up the cost for improvements to their sidewalk. He could not recall the last time a single-family property owner sought the city’s permission for such a project.
“Last year, we had about six requests, but they were from commercial property owners,” he said. “One of the most memorable was North Shore Community College who sought to do their own colored concrete sidewalks.”
Under the terms of the agreement with the city, the property owners must use a contractor who is insured, pays Workers’ Compensation and is bonded to protect the city.
The pair won’t say how much the project cost.
“It’s expensive, but it won’t break the bank,” Sherman said.
“We didn’t think we were doing any great, grandiose thing, but we like it.”
Thomas Grillo can be reached at tgrillo@itemlive.com.