The Woodstock Village Trustees on Tuesday appointed four residents and two trustees to its newly formed sidewalk shoveling committee.
This gang of six is in charge of forming a Ballot Article, which will allow voters to decide at the Annual Village Meeting in March whether the Village will take on the cost of shoveling the Village sidewalks. The committee will also get a cost estimate that will accompany the Article.
According to Village Trustee Chair Candace Coburn – one of two trustees on the committee, the committee has already met twice (before officials appointment), due to the time-crunch they are under. The committee wants to present the Article at the Feb. 14 Village trustees meeting, where they hope the board will sign off on the Article. That will be in time for the March 20 Village Meeting, where voters will decide the matter.
The members of the sidewalk shoveling committee are: Willa Nohl, Gerry Jones, Les Berge, Jeffrey Kahn, Candace Coburn and fellow Village Trustee Bob Pear. The village is currently seeking official bids for the sidewalk shoveling work. According to Pear, the committee will use the bids (which will be sealed) to form an estimate for the shoveling work. If the voters approve this change in the shoveling system, these bids will be used to select the business or individual who gets the job. At Tuesday’s meeting, Coburn said that, regarding the snow shoveling job, the Village would be divided up into four quadrants. Contractors can bid on all four quadrants, or just one, she added.
The shoveling controversy started last year, when some residents objected the Village requirement that residents shovel their own sidewalks. Some are physically unable to do the snow removal and must therefore pay someone to do the work (or face a Village fine). Others believe that, with the Village in charge of the work, the sidewalks will be more evenly shoveled and therefore safer for pedestrians. There has also been concern about the sidewalks being clear enough for our winter visitors in the Village. On the other hand, other residents have objected to paying extra taxes for this work. These numbers have not been worked out yet, but the sidewalk shoveling committee’s final report will include information to help figure out individual tax impact. This report will be public, and the committee’s minutes are also public. Copies can be requested at town hall.
Another important point: the cost estimate for the sidewalk removal work will be an estimate for the 2012-2013 budget. So, that figure could potentially change in the future.
The sidewalk shoveling committee’s next meeting is on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 3 p.m. at town hall.
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 