Snow removal ordinance update proposed
The City Council is proposing to amend the current Snow and Removal Ordinance to improve sidewalk safety.
At the Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, Council President Robert G. Logan introduced amendment language from a resolution co-sponsored by Ward 8 Councilor Cathyann Harris that would address a pet peeve for many in the city.
The city’s current snow removal ordinance requires property owners to clear snow on the sidewalks in front of their house if they have three or more dwelling units. Violators of this ordinance are subject to a $100 DPW fine that increases with each additional violation.
The new amendment, if approved, would require residents in one- and two-family houses to follow the same rules and suffer the same consequences. Exceptions would be made for residents physically unable to move snow.
CPW Director Michael Chiasson said more than 200 citations and warnings were issued by hand this past winter. He recommends a ticketing system to speed up the process next year.
Residents have been critical of the city’s handling of snow removal, with some posting pictures of slippery sidewalks and unshoveled passageways long after the snowfall has stopped.
Regarding the city’s role, Logan asked Director Chiasson if he could commit more resources to clear Moody and Main street walking paths right after storms.
Chiasson said first clearing routes students use to walk to school is the priority, and is a challenge in itself with a limited staff. He suggested talking to the mayor about a snow removal program specifically for Moody and Main that would benefit both pedestrians and store owners.
The committee unanimously approved the amendment language and is sending the resolution draft to the Law Department for review.
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I live on School St. and am 74 years old. When there is a significant snowfall the city plows all the snow onto my sidewalk when cleaning the streets. This past winter they piled 3-4 feet of snow onto my sidewalk. There was no way I could shovel that snow.
There also needs to be improved coordination of the work the city does. I live near a school, so the city does come by and plow the sidewalks for the walkers. Then within a few hours, the street plows do a couple of runs and fill in the sidewalks again. So we are paying to both clear the sidewalks and then fill them up again. The city should also have more industrial type snow blowers for the sidewalks and not the little plows. I’ve seen both used, and the snow blowers do a better job.
The City of Waltham’s proposed hefty fines for owners of single family homes who don’t keep their sidewalks shoveled during all snow storms is not a good solution to the issue of snow removal. The city can’t keep the main sidewalks cleared in downtown in big storms, so why would city officials think it’s realistic to expect all residents to be able to keep up with shoveling sidewalks in these same storms? There simply aren’t enough plow companies to hire to keep up with demand so it doesn’t help to start penalizing homeowners. Many of us make an effort to shovel and keep sidewalks clear, but the plows pile the snow up again several times during each storm. Several large portions of the city include more dense neighborhoods that have no place to put the snow, so this proposed ruling is unrealistic. Local homeowners also do not own the sidewalks and can make improvements in them that might make them easier to get plowed. It would be far better to spend our tax dollars to buy sidewalk plows than to employ people to implement these new fines of $100 per uncleared sidewalk. We want our tax dollars spent to address these issues that affect us all.
Do condos have to follow the same rules as owners and businesses in Waltham.
I own a condo in Waltham and the snow is NEVER removed down to the walkways.
Always a 3″ or 4″ layer of packed down snow left over.