Canton Reminds People To Clear Snow Off Sidewalks And Hydrants
By Ken Byron
February 11, 2015 7:43 AM
CANTON — In the wake of the latest of a string of major snowstorms, the town is reminding people that if their property abuts a sidewalk they have to clear it of snow or face a fine.
The reminder was sent out by email on Tuesday, a day after a storm dropped around 10 inches of snow if many parts of Connecticut. According to an ordinance adopted three years ago people whose property abuts a sidewalk must clear it of snow within 24 hours after snow has stopped falling or face a $35 fine.
Chief Administrative Officer Robert Skinner said in an interview that monitoring compliance is up to the police and public works departments and most of the time violators are sent letter warning them of the ordinance and asking them to clean up the snow. If that does not work, a fine is issued, Skinner said.
“We have issued fines this year,” Skinner said. “Some people still need to be reminded of the ordinance but for the most part people are complying.”
As the snow mounts, officials around Connecticut have become worried that fire hydrants may be buried and inaccessible if they are needed. On Tuesday, the town also asked people who live near fire hydrants to clear them. “Precious time is saved when our volunteer firefighters can hook up quickly to the water source when fighting house fires,” town officials said in their announcement.
Canton Volunteer Fire & EMS Dept. spokeswoman Sylvia Cancela said there are 275 hydrants in Canton and while some have been dug out many are not. She said that so far this winter town firefighters have not had to clear a hydrant when responding to calls but that the department did encounter problems last winter.
The reminder from the town comes as weather forecasters are predicting more snow in the coming days. According to the National Weather Service, a storm is expected to hit the region on Thursday evening and into Friday and there is a possibility of a second one on Saturday into Sunday, although it is too early to say how significant they could be.
People who have questions about the sidewalk ordinance or snow removal issues should contact police Chief Christopher Arciero or Capt. Lawrence Terra at 860-693-0221.
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