After a good Vermont snowfall, Woodstock requires homeowners to clear the snow from their sidewalks. Village Trustees Tuesday night clarified the ordinance about snow removal. The ordinance now reads:
a) Owners of property abutting a Village sidewalk shall cause said sidewalk to be cleared of accumulated snow or ice otherwise rendered safe for pedestrian traffic to a minimum width of three feet within 24 hours of such accumulation.
b) The Village may cause any sidewalk or portion thereof to be cleared of accumulated snow or ice or otherwise rendered safe for pedestrian traffic, if, after 24 hours of such accumulation, any snow or ice has not been cleared or maintained as required in section (a) of this section, in which event the Village shall have the right to recover its actual expenses incurred for snow and ice removal and/or maintenance, by action or contract of this subsection. Nothing in this ordinance shall preclude the Village, acting by and through its police department, from giving property owners warnings of the impending 24 hour enforcement timeline.
Wow. That’s a lot of legal-ese, isn’t it? I think this means we’ll be charged for Village snow removal if we don’t get rid of the snow ourselves with 24 hours.
Still a subject of controversy as I know many Village residents would like to have Village crews remove snow from our sidewalks routinely as is done in other communities. It’s often jarring to see the Woodstock Inn’s sidewalks cleared only to run into post-holed snowy sidewalks elsewhere.
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 