There is what some weather forecasters describe as a blockbuster winter storm tracking along the Atlantic Coast and due to arrive to the area on Wednesday.
The storm is expected to dump double-digit snowfall in parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states, including eastern Pennsylvania. Northwestern Pennsylvania could get 3 to 5 inches of snow.
Regardless of direction and severity, the storm can serve as a reminder of what property owners are obliged to do when it comes to snow removal.
“We’re in that time of year when our residents should know the things they need to do to keep people safe when they are using the public sidewalks,” she said. “The city has some rules in place.”
There is a city ordinance that applies specifically to sidewalks within city limits. A key element in the regulation focuses on snow and ice removal and the requirement that it be done within 12 hours of a snowfall.
All properties included
“It includes all of Oil City, not just the businesses in the downtown area. And that means all deed owners, too, of an abandoned house or an empty lot that has sidewalks around,” said Greene. “The responsibility to clean off those sidewalks falls on that deed holder, and that’s the message we want to get out.”
If the precipitation has turned to ice that cannot be easily removed by a property owner, there are temporary alternatives to chipping it away.
The city ordinance allows an owner to toss ashes, sawdust, ice melt or other suitable material onto the walkway. But, it must be done within the 12-hour framework and any substances left on the sidewalk surface must be swept away for safety reasons.
“If someone can’t get out to shovel their walk, it would be a good time for an early entrepreneur to get out there, a young person who will shovel,” said Greene. “I think that’s a good lesson, too, for a kid to get out there and learn how to earn something.”
There are penalties, such as fines, in place if a property owner does not heed the city’s snow-removal ordinance. If the city has to react and either remove the snow or treat the surface of a sidewalk in front of or beside a business or home, the owner will be billed for those costs.
“This is all about making sure people, like the mailman and other pedestrians, don’t get hurt,” said Greene. “And that liability falls on the property owner should someone get hurt.”
Posting addresses
Greene’s office is also ramping up another safety-related campaign to encourage all city residents and businesses to post their property address.
Travis Hartman, city zoning officer who works with Greene, said the address numbers should be visible and legible from the street. That means the numbers and letters should be in contrast to their background.
The characters should have a minimum height of 4 inches and the numbers should not be spelled out. The rules are contained in the city’s property maintenance code.
“Proper address identification ensures that homes and businesses can be easily located during an emergency response or by delivery services,” said Hartman.
