Public Hearing on Snow Removal Regulations Scheduled for Wednesday February 25th at 7pm.

[courtney o'keefe]

There will be a Public Hearing before the Board of Aldermen’s Committee on Legislative Matters on Wednesday, February 25, 2015, at 7 PM, in the Aldermanic Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 93 Highland Avenue, on the Order of Alderman Mary Jo Rossetti, Chairman of the Committee, for public input related to the city’s snow removal ordinance (Ordinance 2014-12, found at Chapter 12 Section 8).

Comments

[greyautumnrain.livejournal.com]

I think the main issue is those who don't shovel at all. There are a few houses near me where that is the case, I suspect they are houses where the landlord lives elsewhere. There was also (two? snowstorms ago) a house a block away from the Brown school that hadn't shoveled by the time the schools had re-opened. This was a bit of an issue on school mornings. At least I haven't had to worry about that for a week, and won't have to again until the 23rd.

They need a set-in-stone policy so that they can enforce something, but the vibe I've been getting is that it only gets enforced when neighbors complain, which most people aren't apt to do so long as the house appears to have put in a good-faith effort to let pedestrians pass without risking their necks. I'm not saying it doesn't matter what the law says, but common sense and logical flexibility are really hard to write into these sorts of things, so doing it on the enforcement end is probably the best solution.

[ethanfield.livejournal.com]

My favorite part of the ordinance is:

Enforcement/Clean and Lien: If sidewalks abutting private property remain uncleared after 24 daylight hours from the end of the snow emergency (or snowfall if no emergency was declared), the City will make every effort to dispatch crews or contractors to the address for snow and ice removal. This work shall be carried out in accordance with the priorities listed under “Plowing Procedures.” In order for the City to recover its costs for the clearance of such snow and ice from public sidewalks abutting private properties, additional fines will be assessed and charged via a lien placed on the property in question.

This clears those properties where the owners don't shovel at all, and hits them with the cost. There hasn't been much time to test this part of the ordinance, because the snow just keeps coming, and the snow removal employees are all super-busy trying to clear the huge piles form major roads and other places where the snow is impeding emergency vehicles. But I bet if you call 311 or use the web interface (http://citizen.somervillema.intelligovsoftware.com/NewRequestLocation.aspx?serviceid=24660) someone may take notice.