After all the hoopla, the first “real” storm of the winter season was handled much easier than anticipated, Mayor Scott Avedisian said yesterday.
Avedisian said city streets had been plowed …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
|
After all the hoopla, the first “real” storm of the winter season was handled much easier than anticipated, Mayor Scott Avedisian said yesterday.
Avedisian said city streets had been plowed and crews went home by 3 a.m. Sunday. When he called Department of Public Works Director David Picozzi early Sunday morning, Avedisian said Picozzi told him there was no point to performing a citywide assessment, as everything was done.
“It was a very easy storm for us,” he said.
But still there were a flurry of calls to City Hall Monday morning. The issue wasn’t streets, but rather sidewalks and whether the city would enforce recently approved legislation requiring property owners on “priority walks” to have them cleared within 72 hours of the storm.
The short answer is: the new law won’t be enforced this time.
Avedisian explained that Picozzi is still in the process of identifying “priority walks,” which generally are in the vicinity of schools and areas known to have pedestrian traffic. Once those walks have been listed, property owners who will be held responsible for clearing the walks will be notified by letter. The ordinance has provisions for people to apply for hardships should they not be capable of shoveling and lack the resources to contract for the work.
Avedisian said the Pilgrim Senior Center continues to have a program where it matches students looking to gain community service time with elderly needing snow shoveling.
Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur, who spearheaded efforts to rewrite the sidewalk shoveling law, had hoped the revised law would be put to the first test with the storm. He brought together a commission including representatives from city departments including fire, police, public works, and schools along with businesses and residents to revise the law. Patti St. Amant, director of human services, was also a part of those meetings and is working on a means of qualifying hardship exemptions.
Ladouceur is disappointed the city isn’t ready to go with the revised law.
Nonetheless, he said, “the law is a lot better now than in the day.” He points out that among revisions is the extension of the deadline to clear walks from 24 to 72 hours after a storm; a provision that exempts a business from clearing walks when there is a clear parking lot in which pedestrians can walk; and a revised fee schedule that provides for an initial warning without a citation.
Also, he pointed out, “It gives public works the flexibility to add or delete sidewalks.”
Although the revised law won’t be enforced this time, Ladouceur said from his casual survey, more walks appear to be cleared than in prior years. Just the fact that there was been news stories about the law, he believes, has had an impact.
“The law was never enforced until last year,” he said of the former ordinance, which he felt could be subjectively enforced and made no provisions for those property owners unable to their walks.
“This is going to be much better,” he said.
Ladouceur thought the list of priority walks could be posted on the city website by last night. Even so, the requirement won’t take effect until property owners have been individually notified, according to the mayor’s office.
4 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
Justanidiot
It is not so much the snow on the sidewalks as the RIPTA buses.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016 Report this
davebarry109
Again, this law is unconstitutional. If you get a ticket, contest it in municipal court. If you lose, appeal to superior court where it will never be heard or the constitutionality will be judged. FYI, you don't need a lot of money or a lawyer to contest/appeal this.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016 Report this
smh
so, a law is passed, and then arbitrarily enforced, if at all....what will it take? a child getting struck by a car on his/her way home from school? so over this city and it's shenanigans
Wednesday, January 27, 2016 Report this
warwickguy
The city owns the sidewalks as well as what most people think is their front yard "I believe "feet from the road" If they want it cleared the city should be responsible for it. Again just something to get Ladoucers name in the paper, this guy has to be the worse City Council person in decades. he would attend a letter opening for the publicity. He needs a job.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016 Report this