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Public hearing on proposed downtown shoveling law today at city hall
YOUNGSTOWN
City council will have a public hearing at 2 p.m. today to discuss a proposal to bill downtown business owners at least $150 if they fail to remove snow and ice from the front of their properties.
While acknowledging some businesses don’t do a good job of taking care of snow and ice, a few people who work downtown question the need for the law.
“I’m not sure legislation is going to be a game-changer,” said Sharon Letson, executive director of Youngstown CityScape, a nonprofit organization focused on revitalizing downtown. “The real answer is to take care of our frontage and for us to work together to resolve this.”
But Letson said some downtown business owners, primarily those who don’t live in the area, don’t shovel.
“We have people in wheelchairs who need to get from Point A to Point B and have to go on the street to get there,” she said.
The proposal would require those in the central business district to remove snow and ice from city sidewalks by 7 a.m. on the day after it snows with a minimum 42-inch cleared path. If a sidewalk is fewer than 42 inches wide, the full width must be cleared.
Failure to remove snow and ice by 7 a.m. could result in a $150 fine per occurrence for up to 100 linear feet, and $250 per occurrence for 100 linear feet or more, according to the proposed ordinance.
The fees would be added to a property owner’s water bill.
“It can be very difficult for people to travel across the sidewalk,” said Nicole Billec, an assistant city law director. “In some cases this past winter, some people weren’t clearing snow at all.”
Council first considered this legislation March 18. Its members chose to have a public hearing before voting on the proposal.
The public hearing in city council’s chambers on the 6th floor of city hall is an opportunity for people to question city officials about the snow proposal, she said.
The city decided on the 7 a.m. deadline because most people come to work between 8 and 9 a.m., Billec said.
Jeffrey Kurz, a downtown lawyer who co-owns the Imbibe Martini Bar, and Ryes Craft Beer & Whiskey Bar on West Federal Street, backs the proposal.
But he said the 7 a.m. deadline is going to be difficult for many to meet.
“A lot of businesses will extend that time to 8 a.m.,” he said. “If you have a business that opens at 9, it is more realistic to remove snow by 8. We have an obligation to make the downtown as beautiful and safe as possible.”
Barb Ewing, chief operations officer for the Youngstown Business Incubator, said, “As a general rule, it’s very important that sidewalks be kept clear and removed of obstacles. Overall, it’s a mix downtown. Some are good and some are not so good. It can be improved.”
Richard Mills, president of the Ohio One Corp., which owns five downtown buildings, said he strongly supports the proposal.
“I’m glad the city is pushing to get this issue addressed,” he said. “You’ve got to be gracious to the people downtown. Some people start work at 8 a.m. if not earlier, and they need the sidewalks to be clear.”