The city of DeKalb is making progress to alleviate the decrepit sidewalks in DeKalb.

The city has designed a program which will ask for voluntary monetary cooperation from property owners whose property meets unsafe sidewalk sections located within pedestrian routes most traveled, said Rick Monas, assistant director of the department of building and community services.

This program will allow eligible property owners to receive a grant paying for half the replacement of existing public sidewalks sections that are unsafe, he said.

“This is an ongoing program which was just revised to speed up the restoration of these sidewalks,” Monas said.

In order to be eligible for the program, the unsafe sidewalks must be located on a direct route to a city park, public school or neighborhood shopping center, he added.

“The decayed sidewalk must be within 2,000 feet of the city park, school or shopping center,” Monas said. “In addition, the damaged sidewalk must have occurred as a direct result of effects of the environment.”

Any property owner who is interested in the program must apply for eligibility, he said. “We (department of building and community services) will assess each application to determine which sidewalks need the most repair.”

Once it is determined which property owners are eligible for the program, they will be notified, Monas said.

“The property owners will be required to solicit two bids from licensed contractors to receive a 50 percent reimbursement of the lowest bid,” he said.

Applications will be accepted today through Oct. 16. Any property owner who is interested should contact the city of DeKalb’s building and community services department, 223 S. Fourth St., Suite C.