"When I initially supported the enforcement of this bylaw, I never imagined that we would have such an extraordinary amount of snow."
-- Selectman Scott Garieri at the February 7 of Selectmen Meeting
It's Ok, It's New England, snow fall amounts are so hard to predict here. ☃
A re-write of the snow removal bylaw is needed. The snow is going to keep falling, and property owners are going to be stuck with the burden of removing the snow from the sidewalks. It is the job of the DPW no matter if there is a bylaw written to take that responsibility away from them due to funding. The bylaw needs to be rewritten, or removed. Shifting the burden from one party to the next does not make the situation go away
A Town Warrant Article to change the bylaw, or to obtain the funding would be the next step.
Oh, and the data below was "Googled" by me this morning in .83 seconds. It was my homework.
Oh, and the data below was "Googled" by me this morning in .83 seconds. It was my homework.
Year Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Total
1954 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 6.2 T 4.0 8.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 21.2
1955 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.3 2.2 10.0 21.7 35.4 11.3 0.0 0.0 84.9
1956 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 18.2 21.7 6.2 11.3 8.0 0.0 0.0 65.6
1957 0.0 0.0 0.0 T T 2.2 29.5 20.1 36.5 9.2 T 0.0 97.5
1958 0.0 0.0 0.0 T 1.4 10.2 8.9 11.3 32.9 T 0.0 0.0 64.7
1959 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 8.5 16.6 13.2 26.6 1.5 0.0 0.0 66.5
1960 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.6 T 20.8 32.4 20.4 17.6 9.5 0.0 0.0 104.3
1961 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.9 8.3 20.3 2.0 45.2 4.5 1.8 T 0.0 83.0
1962 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.7 3.6 18.1 11.7 22.2 15.3 0.1 T 0.0 75.7
1963 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 T 16.7 14.9 27.3 6.0 1.2 0.0 0.0 66.6
1964 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.1 T 11.7 18.7 5.9 17.7 6.7 0.0 0.0 62.8
1965 0.0 0.0 0.0 T 0.6 2.3 44.0 19.7 5.8 0.8 T 0.0 73.2
1966 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7 13.6 2.5 35.5 34.6 7.3 T 0.0 94.2
1967 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 9.8 22.2 18.6 6.4 9.2 T 0.0 0.0 66.2
1968 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 15.3 12.2 1.8 39.5 6.9 T 0.0 0.0 75.7
1969 0.0 0.0 0.0 T 0.3 29.5 7.7 11.4 19.9 3.3 T 0.0 72.1
1970 0.0 0.0 0.0 T T 32.1 16.6 11.4 12.1 7.8 0.0 0.0 80.0
1971 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 20.7 9.6 6.7 35.0 20.1 7.2 0.0 0.0 99.3
1972 0.0 0.0 0.0 T 6.1 13.8 17.9 5.8 0.4 0.4 0.0 0.0 44.4
1973 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 T 0.9 12.5 15.0 1.7 3.7 0.0 0.0 33.8
1974 0.0 0.0 0.0 T 1.2 13.1 22.6 21.9 4.9 1.4 0.0 0.0 65.1
1975 0.0 0.0 0.0 T 1.5 18.1 21.6 4.7 16.4 T T 0.0 62.3
1976 0.0 0.0 0.0 T 3.0 13.5 21.7 13.8 21.5 1.0 12.7 0.0 87.2
1977 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.2 13.7 34.2 20.8 15.0 T T 0.0 85.9
1978 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.4 13.1 16.0 6.5 1.3 5.4 0.0 0.0 47.7
1979 0.0 0.0 0.0 7.5 0.0 2.1 0.8 6.5 9.7 T 0.0 0.0 26.6
1980 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 9.0 6.8 12.5 11.4 3.3 T T 0.0 43.0
1981 0.0 0.0 0.0 T T 24.6 16.7 6.5 11.0 15.1 0.0 0.0 73.9
1982 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 6.4 18.6 32.1 3.5 2.3 T 0.0 63.4
1983 0.0 0.0 0.0 T 1.1 17.2 24.1 3.3 30.9 T T 0.0 76.6
1984 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 T 7.0 9.7 11.0 7.2 4.9 0.0 0.0 39.8
1985 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.9 9.1 5.8 14.5 2.3 0.1 0.3 0.0 39.0
1986 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 11.5 4.9 46.8 3.0 6.4 21.0 0.0 0.0 93.6
1987 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 10.2 12.9 25.2 15.8 6.4 0.6 0.0 0.0 71.1
1988 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.4 T 5.0 2.8 7.7 8.5 3.7 0.0 0.0 28.1
1989 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 7.9 10.2 11.3 15.2 6.4 2.1 0.0 T 53.1
1990 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7 5.0 11.3 9.1 9.3 0.2 0.0 0.0 35.6
1991 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.8 14.5 2.7 8.4 11.8 2.7 0.0 0.1 46.0
1992 0.0 0.0 T 0.0 1.9 37.0 14.6 19.7 44.1 2.8 0.0 0.0 120.1
1993 0.0 0.0 0.0 T 0.2 12.9 34.1 25.9 27.1 0.0 T 0.0 100.2
1994 0.0 T T 0.0 2.9 3.2 4.5 14.3 T T 0.0 0.0 24.9
1995 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 22.9 45.2 10.3 0.5 19.0 0.0 0.0 97.9
1996 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 28.2 6.4 7.6 20.3 24.0 0.0 0.0 87.5
1997 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.0 18.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 23.0
1998 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.6
1999 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 T 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1
2000 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 T T 11.3 15.8 36.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 63.5
2001 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2002 - - - - - - 22.0 38.9 8.3 5.1 0.0 0.0 74.3
2003 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.5 0.0 21.5 13.0 5.9 7.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 49.5
2004 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 11.9 50.9 23.9 24.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 114.3
2005 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.2 18.0 24.1 18.9 0.0 1.5 0.0 0.0 65.7
2006 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.1 3.9 20.8 20.8 2.5 0.0 0.0 49.1
2007 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7 27.1 12.3 22.6 7.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 70.1
2008 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 31.4 24.7 7.7 13.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 76.9
2009 0.0 0.0 0.0 2.4 0.0 20.7 18.8 20.9 1.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 64.6
2010 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 13.2 48.4 - - - - - 61.6
Of course, the expected reply would be that it's unusual for so much snow to fall at one time, yadda, yadda. The thing is that when snow is plowed by the big old plows that do the main roads, they leave mounds that are very difficult if not impossible for most people to deal with. It's hard, enough on the back roads that have been plowed by pick-up trucks, for most able bodied folks to open up the end of their driveways. On the main streets the sidewalk areas become the equivalent of frozen concrete.
ReplyDeleteOh, and by the way, snow and ice slipping over the edges of slate roofs can be deadly.
As they say, you just can't trust a book by it's cover.
And you can't judge a book by it's cover, either!
ReplyDeletePretty is as pretty does, and, well, you know... :-)
Requiring people to remove snow from a sidewalk plowed on the sidewalk by the state plow trucks is ridiculous. This winter’s change in the law proved it. If the Highway department complained about clearing the sidewalk with all their equipment how could an average home owner be expected to do it?
ReplyDeleteExactly!! This is why a new Warrant Article needs to be written and submitted vote at the Town Meeting to remove the current bylaw, and to assign the business of clearing the sidewalks to the department that is there to do just that: the Department of PUBLIC WORKS! If a property owner clears the sidewalk, and a plow comes by and pushes snow back onto the just cleared walkway, then that's it! No more!!!
ReplyDelete