You never know what the weather will bring.
But a day before temperatures hit 70—a new February record—and two days before four inches of snow left everyone wondering what had happened—Washington Avenue, Cobleskill resident Matt Barney told Mayor Linda Holmes and trustees one thing winter weather does bring:
People who don’t shovel their sidewalks.
Displaying laminate photographs of a property on his street, Mr. Barney said Tuesday that owners went more than a week without clearing their sidewalks, forcing people like him, who walk to work at SUNY Cobleskill, as well as college and Cobleskill-Richmondville students, to consider taking to the street.
Not only is it not safe, he said, but homeowners who don’t clear their sidewalks within 24 hours of a snowstorm are also violating village law.
Neighbors help out elderly neighbors, Mr. Barney said, but there’s no excuse for the property in question—which he didn’t identify.
“I just don’t want to see anything happen [to people walking in the road],” he said, suggesting the village back up its law with teeth—or even just a phone call.
Codes Enforcement Officer Mike Piccolo said typically the village does call offenders and then, after 24 hours, calls a local business to clear the walks with the plan of putting the cost on the homeowners’ bill.
“But there’s only one person we can call and the last storm, he was very busy,” Mr. Piccolo said. “His private customers come first.”
Trustee Becky Stanton-Terk said that when she lived on Chapel Street and her children walked to school, she wasn’t shy about calling the village office when the walks weren’t cleared—and it worked.
She suggested Mr. Barney try that route the next time there’s a problem and he agreed to do it.
“I just didn’t want to pick on anyone,” he said. “Now I’ll call.