HADLEY — A bylaw in which fines can be issued to businesses and individuals who impede the work of the Department of Public Works in clearing snow and ice from sidewalks will be discussed by the Select Board Wednesday.
The agenda item comes following the early December snowstorms, in which DPW crews plowing sidewalks in town center along Route 9 between Middle and West streets discovered that private contractors had pushed snow onto the sidewalks, which are in the right of way of the state highway.
Board members at last week’s meeting expressed concern about this causing additional work for the town.
The bylaw prohibits placing, or allowing to remain “for more than 12 hours between sunrise and sunset, any snow upon such sidewalk, nor any ice upon such sidewalk, unless such ice is made even and covered with sand to prevent slipping.”
While the board could issue fines, Town Administrator David Nixon advised that before doing so the topic should be on an agenda for public feedback.
In the interim, board member Joyce Chunglo suggested sending letters to businesses or their contractors to notify them against piling snow on the sidewalks.
The issue of clearing snow from sidewalks also comes as the board continues to determine who’s responsible for other sidewalks along Route 9, especially new ones constructed in recent years.
The DPW has traditionally cleared snow and ice from the sidewalks in the historic town center, adjacent to public buildings like Town Hall and Hopkins Academy.
Nixon said he is still waiting for a response from the state to confirm that its crews will remove snow and ice from the remaining sidewalks.
Over the summer, during public comment on the $25 million project to rebuild the state road from the town center east to South Maple Street, state representatives pledged to maintain the sidewalks, including both future sidewalks and the recently completed sidewalk on the south side of Route 9 between South Maple Street and the Amherst town line.
The town, though, has not received any formal notice that this will happen.
Nixon said clearing of sidewalks during the winter is becoming a statewide issue as more are built along state highways, and fall to local communities to handle.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
