Captain_Cheddar (anonymous) says...

If I fall or get stuck because of improperly piled snow, do I have a liability issue.

January 19, 2011 at 1:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Local_Hispanic (Vic Rodriguez) says...

Maybe we should wait until the sun melts it away, just like some of the streets did on this last snowfall. How could anyone use the sidewalks if the streets are covered with snow?

Maybe we should just have ALL vehicles off the streets before the snow hits, then the city can clean them without covering parked cars with snow or leaving piles of snow along driveways? Just saying?

Maybe if they would just pay every person that cleaned a sidewalk, more sidewalks would get cleaned and faster? You think? JMO.....Have a Happy Day!

January 19, 2011 at 1:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

c3 (anonymous) says...

So they are requiring citizens to clean their sidewalks within 5 hours....So that means that the city only has 5 hours to get all the snow and ice off all the streets as well???

January 19, 2011 at 1:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

reality (anonymous) says...

Who will fine the city???? Should they not have to abide by this ordinance as well? Does the city not worry about the liability issue? Last week there were plenty of sidewalks surrounding city property that had not been shoveled.

January 19, 2011 at 1:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

scarlett01_98 (anonymous) says...

the city took snow removal out of their budget about 8 years ago. the city is nearly impassable after a snow storm. if emporians can't cross a street because of snow, why get the sidewalks cleaned off in such a hurry?

January 19, 2011 at 2:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

Good point, scarlett. How quick the city is to remind citizens of their responsibility when the city forgets their own.

And merchants can just quit shoving the snow out into the parking area on Commercial. It's the dumbest thing I've ever seen. Pile it up next to your building. One store piled it all up high in front of the handicapped space. What is that?

January 19, 2011 at 2:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Renew (anonymous) says...

This is ridiculous. I will clear my sidewalks as soon as the city clears my street.

January 19, 2011 at 2:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

scarlett01_98 (anonymous) says...

create, that's what i didn't understand. why make noise about sidewalks.
looking like i'm going to miss therapy tomorrow, supposed to get 4 to 9 inches tonite. lcat struggles in town in the snow, never mind the county. not worth damaging the bus or me!
for me, shopping downtown is impossible. good weather or bad. not enough handicapped parking and curbs are difficult to navigate .

January 19, 2011 at 2:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

watchingthefacts (anonymous) says...

I'm thinking the City may remove the snow if you are willing to pay a "user fee" in addition to your taxes....

January 19, 2011 at 2:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

scarlett01_98 (anonymous) says...

watching the facts
lmao you are probably right!!!!

January 19, 2011 at 2:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

marko (anonymous) says...

if the moisture falls as snow and it is shoveled onto my lawn I should get a deduct from my storm sewer use fee.... right?

January 19, 2011 at 2:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

scarlett01_98 (anonymous) says...

hey reddog! wanna buy my house, i'm thinking about moving to jc....

January 19, 2011 at 2:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

gooseylucy (anonymous) says...

So if I go to work at 8 am and it snows until 9 am, I have to have my sidewalks cleared by 2 pm. Hmmmm. I hope all the employers in town will let us all off at Noon so we can have our sidewalks cleared by 2. Ain't happenin!!

January 19, 2011 at 2:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

bobhornet (anonymous) says...

This stupid city...

I've never seen a public works department so inept at basic snow removal than Emporia. The one I really love: the six-foot snow mounds in the middle of Commercial St. after they "plow."

January 19, 2011 at 3:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

yev_kassem (anonymous) says...

The city is pretty ballsy sending out this reminder. I hope they go out and ticket for this. I would love to see the uproar. I guarantee I would fight tooth and nail before I ever pay a fine for this.

Clean the damn streets!!

January 19, 2011 at 3:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

pmh61 (Won Ton) says...

Forget that noise, I live on a street that gets cleared because of the school down the street. When they cleared out snow last year they left a 4ft drift covering my drive way I couldn't get out. I threw that crap back in the middle of the street. I am not cleaning the side walk I don't use it.

January 19, 2011 at 3:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

tbluma (anonymous) says...

I have yet to see the city clear the sidewalks along Logan Ave., South Ave. or the one across the overpass on South Prairie, not to mention any sidewalks connected to city parks.

January 19, 2011 at 3:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

zippy (anonymous) says...

The hospital gave up their snow removal company due to budget cuts. They do not have the equipment or manpower to clear snow around the hospital adequately. It was a mess around the hospital and clinics last week. It was an accident waiting to happen, as many patients and employees probably fell. I hope they can figure out a better way to clean up or hire the snow removal company again.

January 19, 2011 at 3:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

tosie (anonymous) says...

hahaha!! This article is hilarious - City of Emporia, I'm so thankful i don't live there anymore..... like everyone else said - TRY CLEANING THE STREETS and then we'll talk about sidewalks. HAHAHA! emporia you never cease to amaze me. Tax everyone to death and threaten them about getting their sidewalks cleared.....OMG - this just blows my mind!!!!

January 19, 2011 at 4:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

doubt_it (anonymous) says...

I guess they must have a lot of law enforcement personnel that have nothing better to do during bad weather than go around and issue fines for not shoveling sidewalks. I will get to it when I get to it. If the city wants it done faster, then they can do it themselves. My street doesn't get any snow removal so how can they dictate to me about the sidewalks?

January 19, 2011 at 4:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

AverageCitizen2 (anonymous) says...

I've always wondered why everyone gets so up in arms over this. This isn't new. Sidewalks have always been the homeowner's responsibility. Of course, this ordinance was created back in the day when people used their energies to take care of and handle their responsibilities instead of sitting around bitching about their responsibilities. That's probably why the change...too tired to work from all the bitching.

January 19, 2011 at 5:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Katie08 (anonymous) says...

If you notice, the ordinance says "can result in a fine", not will. So, more that likely you will not get a fine. But, I do agree that it is the homeowner/ business to clean off the sidewalks, however, it is the city's responsibility to clean the streets. Why in an area that gets snow do we not have a snow plow? Push that snow as close to the rivers and streams as we can to get all that water that will occur out of the area.

January 19, 2011 at 5:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

booker5m (anonymous) says...

Yep the silly city should read what they put out. How bout buying the City Manager a shovel and he can go around help out the tax payers?

January 19, 2011 at 6:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

REWBA (anonymous) says...

I lived in a town where anytime it snowed, businesses and townspeople would go across town with front end loaders and dump trucks and gather up all those snow piles. They would take it to the park and make a huge snow mountain for people to slide down. It was kind of famous and people came from other towns just to play on it. It would last until spring thaw.

January 19, 2011 at 6:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

yev_kassem (anonymous) says...

Ok...I am so angry with this article. Does anyone know who I need to call to complain about my street not being cleared off....ever?!?

And I would love it if the Gazette would please disclose who at the city asked to have this article posted.

January 19, 2011 at 7:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

REWBA (anonymous) says...

yev_kassem, Don't fear. Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. :-)

January 19, 2011 at 7:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

REWBA (anonymous) says...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFnFr-...

January 19, 2011 at 7:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

scarlett01_98 (anonymous) says...

yev, here is the info.

City of Emporia Street Department
1220 Hatcher St.
Emporia, Kansas 66801
620.340.6339
Fax: 620.340.6340
Email: emppwc@emporia-kansas.gov

January 19, 2011 at 7:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

yev_kassem (anonymous) says...

Thanks Yoda....does the force contain the number I need?

January 19, 2011 at 7:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

yev_kassem (anonymous) says...

Thank you scarlett, they will be hearing from me in the morning. I encourage everyone to call and voice their concerns. Flood them with calls.

January 19, 2011 at 7:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

scarlett01_98 (anonymous) says...

works for me yev.... good luck!

January 19, 2011 at 7:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

scarlett01_98 (anonymous) says...

yev, think you can get the roads clean by noon?

January 19, 2011 at 7:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

Was this put out by the city or by the gazette?

It doesn't matter, do what you want to do?

When is the last time you saw someone charged with not removing snow?

Let's all just chill .

January 19, 2011 at 7:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

oh4theluvof (anonymous) says...

I know, I know. It's really hard to take being told what to do. I know it really steams my kid up something awful whenever I make him eat his vegetables, be polite or worst of all, make him apologize if he was rude to any of you at Walmart. But you know what? I don't really care if he gets mad. I want him to learn what it looks like to be neighborly and polite and that it's expected of him. For the same reason, I will shovel snow. Not because the city told me to, but just because they have, I'm not going to change my reason or my actions. When you refuse to shovel a walk or throw snow back out into the road, you are only punishing your neighbors who are trying to walk or drive there. The people in offices downtown aren't affected by it in the least, so don't think you're punishing them. Do they do a good job removing snow? No. What does that have to do with how you treat your neighbors?

When you shovel your sidewalks, please also shovel the gutter so when the street warms, the water can run off faster and easier so it doesn't linger to re-freeze that night. The snow and ice on the edges is the thickest and is the last to thaw so it holds up the other stuff. Debris in the gutters compounds that further and can make it take two more days to run off. Yes, I know the City should do a better job of gutter cleaning, but if we raked our yards and swept up grass clippings, that would help too. Regardless, don't do it for the City, do it for your neighbors (that make up the city).

January 19, 2011 at 9:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

yev_kassem (anonymous) says...

This has really nothing to do with the act of shoveling snow. It has to do with gall of the city to have this published. I shovel my snow and I take care of the sidewalks. I do my part.

However, I find it apalling that the city wants to put out a reminder to its citizens that we need to shovel our sidewalks or pay the consequences when they don't come out and do what they should do. Our streets should be cleaned. Period. We pay taxes and we pay a lot of them. Snow from last week should not still be on the streets to freeze and turn into ice. That is not safe. The city should be protecting its citizens not threatening them.

January 19, 2011 at 10:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH !

January 19, 2011 at 10:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

jokesonme (anonymous) says...

This ordinance has been on the books for years and years, but has probably not been enforced. It makes me very unhappy and upset when I encounter a walk that's not cleared in a public or business area. With a lot of our population being older and the danger of falling on uncleaned walks or drives I'm with o4theloveof,-----do it for your neighbor. Last winter a resident of Emporia slipped on the ice on the way to his mailbox striking the back of his head on the pavement, he didn't recover

January 19, 2011 at 11:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

REWBA (anonymous) says...

Welcome back methusla my friend! Joy is in my heart! I know, the hour is late. But isn't this argument great?

yev_kassem, you know in your heart all what you do is as questionable as REWBA's actions. Others need a warning from the republic. The end is near. Obey or perish.... No one is lazy in lazy town!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URAojB...

January 19, 2011 at 11:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Emporia_Mom (anonymous) says...

I agree with oh4theluvof. I do think the city is a little hypocritical on the matter but as I teach my children 2 wrongs do not make a right. To those that are complaining, please think of the school kids that walk to school or walk home. Do you really want them walking on ice and slipping, hurting them self's or worse yet falling out in to the street and getting hit by a car because you are to uptight to shovel your sidewalks just because the city of Emporia is to lazy and cheap to plow the roads or shovel their own sidewalks. Grow up! O and to those of you that say "the kids can just walk in the grass" you are the ones that will complain about the kids walking in your grass. A little tip if someone falls on your sidewalk it is YOU that will be sued because we DO live in a SUE happy world (sadly).

January 20, 2011 at 12:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Guessler (anonymous) says...

Gazette publish this ordinance every year, city doesn't realize after a sotrm nobody in their full senses walks on sidewalks.

January 20, 2011 at 12:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

JFish (anonymous) says...

When we lived in Emporia, we had a double sized corner lot. When it snowed, it was a LOT of work, but my husband shoveled the entire sidewalk. He did not do that under threat, but because it needed to be done. Sidewalks can be dangerous when they become blocks of ice.

BUT, for the city to say five hours doesn't make sense. It isn't practical because people have jobs they are also responsible for.

The street we lived on was not cleared of snow or ice. It was one of the streets that stayed icy longer than most as well. But we still shoveled the sidewalks around our property.

I think what bothers me is the threat of a fine for not doing it within five hours, when people usually work eight hours.

January 20, 2011 at 1:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

create (anonymous) says...

Knock it off, methusla. Your arguments should be anti-city/county spending as it always has, not against the rest of us. We don't need to hear "I told you so" hah hah hah because most of us complain about their spending too.

I stand by my original thoughts about taxes. I do not mind paying my share if the taxes they collect are spent intelligently and not wasted on things like ROCKS. In order to live in any area comfortably, one must carry their share of the tax burden. As the area grows, I do not mind paying more IF everyone is receiving a good benefit. Too often, people actually believe that if they themselves don't use the benefit that they shouldn't have to pay the tax that supports it. That is just plain selfish.

Now, who wins the "when will methusla return" pool?

January 20, 2011 at 7:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

momto4 (anonymous) says...

The place I moved to (Michigan) From Emporia has signs everywhere saying From Nov. 1st to March 1st NO parking on any street from 2 AM to 7 AM so the plows can get through when needed. So everyone parks in their yards, garages, anywhere but the street. Sure enough when the snow starts to fall the city is out in full force sanding, salting and removing snow. So the streets are always clear after a snow. Plus if any neighbor has a snow plow or snow blower most of the time they help their neighbors clear their drives and sidewalks! I was impressed....coming from a town of people who are mostly selfish and hypocrites.

January 20, 2011 at 7:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

methusla (anonymous) says...

"jawohl mein Führer " !

FYI, no one wins the " POOL ", as I am not back, on the this pathetic forum !

HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH

January 20, 2011 at 8:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...

WOW REWBA,

Watched that video and wondered how much redbull was consumed in it's filming.
It wore me out just watching it, so now the Mrs. gets to shovel the snow.

January 20, 2011 at 8:25 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

1mafia (anonymous) says...

I really find this article in poor taste. I dont understand the reasoning for this article. They dont have the money to keep our streets clean and safe, but they can spend 100,000 dollars on some stones. I know im bad with money but that seems a litte retarded to me. Just my two cents.

January 20, 2011 at 11:09 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

REWBA (anonymous) says...

My solar powered snow remover started working on my walkways and drive at sunrise. In a few days all that snow and ice will be nothing more than a memory.

January 20, 2011 at 12:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

fuggetabodit (anonymous) says...

You know, I wonder if this ordinance dates from a more "traditional" time. It might have been possible, for instance, for a stay-at-home spouse many years ago either to do some shoveling or to find/have kids in the neighborhood able and willing to shovel snow. Or, the working spouse might have had a bit more flexibility to work on the sidewalk after a working day, etc. I don't know, but that was a thought. At any rate, it's an ordinance that is much more difficult to enforce nowadays -- with people needing to work all day (and often, working afternoon/evening shifts). Seems like the ordinance is correct -- no one wants to risk a lawsuit and yes, sidewalks are indeed the homeowner's responsibility. But, times change.

Here's another random thought. Rather than our men and women in blue driving around and seeking homeowners to ticket in violation of the ordinance, why not have them give a tactful warning and then offer to shovel sidewalks as a courtesy? Can you imagine the good will that type of offer would buy here in Emporia?

(Or, as Steve Martin used to say...naaaahhh!)

January 20, 2011 at 12:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )