The Village of Cobleskill will be getting tough on parking lot scofflaws this winter.
Any cars left in village-owned parking lots after it snows will be towed.
No excuses.
"Given the history of last year, we need to take a hard line," Mayor Mark Galsso said Tuesday.
The village's lots on Division and Union Streets are already posted, prohibiting parking after more than three inches of snow till they're cleared.
But too few people pay attention, Mayor Galasso said, forcing the street crews to plow around the cars and adding to the expense of the storms.
This winter, all cars will need to be parked in the under-construction Harmony Acres lot until their "home" lots are cleared.
The first storm of the season, drivers who ignore the ordinance will get a warning.
After that, they'll be towed.
Mayor Galasso and trustees discussed ways to spread the word of the crackdown, including using the Times-Journal, posting notices on cars, and taking advantage of the SUNY Cobleskill email system.
Also Tuesday, the village agreed to take advantage of a Schoharie County Creating Healthy Places grant to install enhanced crosswalks at key intersections, including Bridge Street at Route 7 and Rose Street at Elm.
The $13,000 grant, from the State Department of Health, will be matched by the village.
The crosswalks will look like brick, Mayor Galasso explained, and if the community likes them, they will be incorporated into the village's master plan and its Walkable Communities plan, meaning they will also have to be incorporated into future projects by the Department Of Transportation.