Trending
ELKINS -- Elkins city officials confirmed Friday that removing snow from sidewalks is the responsibility of building owners and occupants, after residents complained about unwalkable sidewalks, with more snow looming.
Several Elkins residents raised concerns with The Inter-Mountain about being unable to properly walk on sidewalks due to high levels of snow and ice, having instead to opt to walk in the roadway. Others raised issues with having to drive around people walking in the street.
City Clerk Sutton Stokes, after being contacted by The Inter-Mountain, referred to Elkins City Code Ordinance 93.006, which refers to the "duties of owners and occupants as to sidewalks," that states it is the responsibility of any building owner or occupant to keep the sidewalk or pavement in front of their building "clean and free from obstruction of every kind."
"…when necessary, such person shall remove the snow and ice therefrom at least once each day and shall sweep such pavement or sidewalk at least once each day," 93.006 states. "Except, that it shall not be necessary to sweep any such pavement or sidewalk on Sunday."
The section also states that owners and occupants are not permitted to "sweep or place any paper, sweepings, dirt, debris or any other refuse into the city streets, but shall remove such sweepings from such pavement or sidewalk."
Violators of 93.006 will be fined an amount set forth by the Elkins City Council from "time to time," according to the City Code of Ordinances.
The complaints come as the National Weather Service predicts snow showers today and Sunday and a chance of flurries on Monday, alongside extremely cold temperatures throughout the week. Most of West Virginia is under an extreme cold watch from late Sunday night through Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
On the nights of Jan. 12 and 13, the Elkins City Street Department temporarily closed roads on Davis Avenue and Randolph Avenue to remove snow from the streets.
"We will continue to work hard to get the snow out of the way for you," Elkins City Operations Manager Michael Kesecker said during City Council's Jan. 9 meeting." ...if you move your car and get a hold of us and we're in that area, we'll come by and swipe it and get rid of it, but we can't come on to your property and remove snow. Our priority is the streets to make sure emergency vehicles can get to and fro so the citizens are safe."
Kesecker also acknowledged during the meeting the frustration some have shared with the Street Department pushing snow onto properties that were just shoveled. He admitted that he too has faced that problem where he lives, but it is the "nature of the beast."
"We don't do it on purpose, but there's not a lot of places to put the snow," Kesecker said.
Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco joined Kesecker during the meeting in praising the Street Department, the Sanitation Department and others for their work so far this winter, thanking them for their hard work and teamwork.