[Summit] snow pile problem- equipment suggestions needed.

Tue Dec 18 18:56:54 UTC 2007

It seems to me this is an issue that should be made known to the Lieutenant,
so I've copied him.  It's entirely possible the police officer isn't aware
of the ordinance.  

Jessica

  _____  

From: summit-bounces at sna.providence.ri.us
[mailto:summit-bounces at sna.providence.ri.us] On Behalf Of Thomas A.
Schmeling
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 11:22 AM
To: Greg Gerritt
Cc: Summit Neighborhood
Subject: Re: [Summit] snow pile problem- equipment suggestions needed.

Greg,

My goodness.  It clearly IS his job (see below).  It's bad enough when
business and home owners won't remove the snow, but for the police to openly
refuse to enforce the law is unacceptable. The officer could, at the very
least, have gone to warn the owners they would be ticketed if they didn't
remove it in 24 hours (and followed-through on it, of course).

That shopping area is in Ward 3. Perhaps Councilman Jackson would be
interested to know that the police in his ward are refusing to enforce
ordinances passed by the City Council.  His phone at City Hall (401)
521-7477.  I've already called about the sidewalks at Lippitt park and the
bus stop at Hope and Chace, though I'm not sure whether the bus stop
sidewalk is public property or belongs to East Side Towing.  I know it was a
tough storm, but the answer is to do it before it turns into a glacier.

I've pasted in the city ordinance on snow removal below.  After Greg's
story, I may start carrying copies with me.  (Though, for what it's worth, I
think 4 hours is a little unreasonable, and I'd never hassle anyone until a
reasonable time has passed.)

cheers,
Tom (who grew up in Wisconsin, where prompt snow removal was practically a
fundamental right)

Sec. 23-13. Removal of snow--Required.

All owners, occupants or persons having care of any building or lot
bordering upon any street, highway or public place within the city, shall
within the first four (4) hours of daylight after the end of any snowfall,
or the fall or deposit of snow on the sidewalk of said building or lot from
any cause whatsoever:

(a)   Remove or cause to be removed all snow from a path not less than three
(3) feet in width of the entire border in or on said street, highway, or
public place;

(b)   Remove or cause to be removed all snow from around any fire hydrant on
the sidewalk in front of said building or lot;

(c)   Remove or cause to be removed all snow from the opening of any catch
basin in the sidewalk of said building or lot;

(d)   Remove or cause to be removed all snow from pedestrian-access ramps
cut into street curbs bordering said building or lot;

Any person found guilty of violating this section shall be fined not less
than twenty-five dollars ($25.00) nor more than three hundred dollars
($300.00). The enforcement of the above shall be done by the city police
department.
(Ord. 1914, ch. 30, § 24; Rev. Ords. 1946, ch. 33, § 38; Ord. 1961, ch.
1422, § 1; Ord. 1994, 94-56, § 1, 12-27-94; Ord. 2003, ch. 03-37, 6-16-03)

At 12:30 PM -0500 12/17/07, Greg Gerritt wrote:

On ewmnforcement, I was wlaking along N main St.  A pliceman was on detail
right across from the mini mall next to the fire station.  The sidewalk in
front of the minimall is never shovelled.  I asked the offficer if he could
ticket them for the violation.  He flat out refused.  Said not my job.
Sick.  Greg gerritt

on 12/17/07 7:09 AM, Carol Cancro at ccancro at cox.net wrote:

Just wanted to pass along my pet peeve (which has nothing to do with
animals--I have developed thick skin as a dog owner, mom, and middle-aged
resident of the planet): snow removal around Lippitt Park.  As I suspected,
the second snowfall remains on the sidewalks surrounding the park.
Typically the snow gets compacted by pedestrians to form a thick, irregular
layer of ice which remains until about April.  Some years back, an
unfortunate squirrel was buried therein for many months.  That's just nasty.

To paraphrase the great Christopher Walken, "Where do we go to get you guys
to enforce your own laws?"  He was speaking about the Coastal Resources
Management Council, but the same applies to the Parks Department.  Any
thoughts?

Carol C.

----- Original Message -----

From:  Bresler  E  <mailto:breslerfamily at gmail.com>
<mailto:breslerfamily at gmail.com>  

To: Neighborhood Association  <mailto:Summit at sna.providence.ri.us>
<mailto:Summit at sna.providence.ri.us>  

Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2007 5:52  PM

Subject: Re: [Summit] snow pile problem-  equipment suggestions needed.

Thanks for the suggestions.
One of my accross the street  neighbors helped me.  We used various hacking
implements.
He was very  energetic! and together we got a hole cut through. I think it
lookis pretty  impressive.  I took pictures.  
Sigh. Winter in the city, piles  of dirty snow.
Elianna

On Dec 16, 2007 4:22 PM, John Bazik <jsb at cs.brown.edu> wrote:

On Sat, Dec 15, 2007 at 06:55:17PM -0500, Bresler E  wrote:
> got the path wider, but after a great deal of hacking I had  made only a
> barely noticeable nick in the pile to the street, so I  quit. mad.

Well, this only helps slightly, but I use a garden  scraper/edger for
frozen stuff.  It has a flat blade with a straight  edge on a long handle.
If you wield it like a spear, it chops up even  nasty frozen slush so
you can shovel it.  It's still a lot of work,  though.

John

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-- 
Thomas A. Schmeling
Dept. of Political Science
Rhode Island College
(401) 456-8722
"All my favorite songs have had lyrics I didn't quite understand" -Brian Eno
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