School on Monday?

[Bryan Schwegler]

Ok I am talking about house where I know who lives in them. I know that the woman at the corner of my street is younger and in the summer is out all the time taking care of her perfectly manicured yard, but can't shovel or pay for someone to shovel. I know the home catty corner to her is owned by a relatively well off family who can pay to have someone plow their drive and snow blow everything except for their walkway on Hilliard. I also know that many of the homes are owned my people that are not elderly and some even have teenagers.

Have you ever talked to those people and explained the situation? I'm not sure how well you know them or if you'd feel comfortable doing it, but maybe they'd be more willing to make an effort if they knew what a hardship it caused.

[Danielle Masters]

Have you ever talked to those people and explained the situation? I'm not sure how well you know them or if you'd feel comfortable doing it, but maybe they'd be more willing to make an effort if they knew what a hardship it caused.

I don't mean to be rude but if you live on a main street and don't think shoveling your drive creates a hardship for pedestrians than you are either not the brightest bulb or rather inconsiderate. Also last year when our group of moms shoveled a path down Hilliard we kinda hoped the homeowners would get a clue, but obviously they didn't. Every year it's the same thing and every year there are so many excuses. This morning as I drove my children and other kids from the neighborhood I was appalled at the condition of the sidewalks. I am ashamed to see so many churches without walks shoveled. And I blame their parishioners. I am upset at the businesses that are not shoveled. The business next to my house has never once been shoveled since the new owners bought it. They pay for a plow service for the drive but not the walks. I am just getting tired of the excuses excuses excuses. If it's a few inches I don't care but come on people we are talking feet. Please be a decent neighbor, especially those of you on the main drags and once again I will say of you have an elderly neighbor help them out, I know we do. I am done on this subject, it is becoming very obvious to me that even though this is a walking city many people choose to ignore that fact. So please do me a favor, just don't complain about people in the street. I am done with this, it's like talking to a brick wall. One message I have for the mayor or people at city hall, please enforce this ordinance. It would do a lot of good for the pedestrians of Lakewood.

[Suzie Dean]

As I read and reread the posts on the subject...All I am hearing are excuses. I feel that people are making the excuses because they are in fact guilty of the same thing themselves.

When I have witnessed streets that have a school on them, the drive is plowed nicely but the sidewalk isn't clear...there is no excuse!!!

The excuse of health conditions or elderly...is just that an excuse. I think we have all witnessed many people offering to help them out. I know i would and have. I "thought" that Lakewood is or was that kind of community where we look out for our neighbors.

If you live in a neighborhood and have an elderly person living in it and their walk isn't taken care of...then shame on you.

As for the rest of you that didn't take care of your walks...I don't know what to say other then i'm ashamed to have someone like you in our community that doesn't care enough for it enough to clear their walks.

[Bryan Schwegler]

For the record, I'm not making excuses for anyone or myself. My sidewalk has been shoveled every time it has snowed since we bought the house in April last year.

And yes, I agree people should know better, but sometimes they need to be told. Maybe discussing it directly with those churches, businesses, or individuals who are the offenders may help.

Absent that, it's convincing the city to enforce the ordinance.

[Rick Uldricks]

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[Danielle Masters]

Who would be responsible for clearing the walk? The homeowner? The landlord? The renter? What if the property is vacant?

Perhaps the city should send a reminder out in the next water bill?

I like the idea of sending out a reminder with the water bill. And as to who is ultimately responsible, it would be the homeowner, because they are ultimately responsible for the maintenance of their property, this would fall under maintenance. And if the property is vacant someone still owns it, not that that seems to really dawn on many owners of vacant property.

[Suzanne Metelko]

Rick, I think the simplest and fairest way is to make it the responsibility of the same person who is responsible for paying the tax bill. Whatever arrangement they make, it is ultimately their job to make sure it gets done. You own it - you maintain it. Suzanne

[Rick Uldricks]

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[David Anderson]

Here’s my two cents on the matter.

1) At the very least, DIG OUT YOUR FIRE HYDRANTS. Get the neighbor kid to do it for $5.

2) I used to own a house on Riverside Drive and I just couldn’t keep up with the snow plows going 30mph and blasting the street snow across the tree lawn onto the sidewalk. I’m sure this is true for most major streets with housing. Driving down Riverside this morning I saw literally a four foot tall solid wall of ice from Hilliard to W. Clifton. Does anyone have the equipment in their garage to deal with that? Having the plows slow down to 15-20 mph is the only answer on the major roads.

It took 25 St. Peter’s Episcopal Church parishioners two hours on Sunday afternoon to clear our sidewalks and day care center primary and emergency exits. Unfortunately, we couldn’t dig all the way to Clinton Place (the first road east of W. Clifton on Detroit) because there was, and still is, a seven foot wall of ice courtesy of the street plows. So, folks can only use the sidewalk in front of our church to a certain point then must jump onto Detroit to get around the Clinton Place Glacier.

3) There is no excuse to not have sidewalks shoveled on the side streets. My 80+ year old neighbor is a great case in point. I will do her sidewalk and driveway with my little thrower when I’m out doing mine. (I like the snow. It’s fun.) However, she is on a call-in list and when a major storm comes through she picks-up the phone and gets scheduled.

4) The city is not setting a good example. Low expectations are generally met.

The snow comes every year and every year we have the same LO discussion thread.

[Rick Uldricks]

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[Jim DeVito]

I would just like to make one more point and then I can let this thread die. Until next snow storm that is. I fully understand that the city code requires all walks to be cleared. I am not arguing that point. It is a fine ordnance. The problem is it is not to sustainable. Back to my previous point. When we have to pay for a lot of city workers to walk the streets to cite people for not clearing, that is going to cost alot of money. What happens then. We have a thread complaining about how much money the city is "wasting" to do that. Yes we should be considerate enough to clear our own walks. In the end there are those people who are not going to do it.

[Phil Florian]

I would just like to make one more point and then I can let this thread die. Until next snow storm that is. I fully understand that the city code requires all walks to be cleared. I am not arguing that point. It is a fine ordnance. The problem is it is not to sustainable. Back to my previous point. When we have to pay for a lot of city workers to walk the streets to cite people for not clearing, that is going to cost alot of money. What happens then. We have a thread complaining about how much money the city is "wasting" to do that. Yes we should be considerate enough to clear our own walks. In the end there are those people who are not going to do it.

Walk nothing. They drive up the street, note every address without shoveled drives, go back to the office, create a mass mailing of tickets, profit. I doubt many will complain about acting on an ordinance like this. Yes, someone always will but less than those complaining about walkways being piled high with snow.

We have city workers of one sort or another driving down every street weekly, be it trash collectors, snow plows, police, building workers, etc. Just ask that for x amount of streets, those workers collect address information on places without plowed streets. No, you won't catch them all but enough will get cited and a) the shoveling hopefully will be done and b) the city brings in a bit more money and c) our walkers in town are safer (not just kids, either...I saw a significantly older woman in less-than-sensible shoes walking up the center of my street yesterday because there was sidewalks still covered).

[dl meckes]

If it's at all possible, please try and clean the snow from any fire hydrants near your home.

RESIDENTS ASKED TO HELP WITH KEEPING FIRE HYDRANTS CLEAR

The Lakewood Division of Fire is out in full force trying to clear snow away from buried fire hydrants. Residents are being asked to help with the process. If you have a fire hydrant located on your tree lawn, please remove the snow from around the hydrant so the hydrant is visible. In the event of a fire, the precious seconds lost while firefighters are locating and clearing a hydrant could make a difference between life and death.

[Bryan Schwegler]

Yesterday I decided to take my snow blower and just do up and down my whole block.

The issue is that at the corners, there are literally 7 ft snow piles from the plows that are iced over. What are we supposed to do about that?

[Christina McCallum]

On a positive note. . .

Someone cleared the sidewalk on Franklin from St. Charles to Warren Road (south side). Don't know if it was the people who live in the "Christmas House," but it has made a big difference in our daily walk to school.

Danielle and others can attest that my kids and I walk 90% of the time. When Franklin's sidewalks are not taken care of, like Hilliard's, they are ridiculously hazardous.

Thanks to whomever took care of this section of the street!