43
No one spoke in favor of downtown business snow removal policy
YOUNGSTOWN
The city’s proposal to bill downtown business owners at least $150 if they don’t clear snow and ice from sidewalks by 7 a.m. the day after it snows received a cool reception at a public hearing.
Of the 12 people at Thursday’s city council hearing on the proposed law, no one spoke in favor of it.
Three opposed it, and a fourth sent a letter against it.
It was the largest crowd for a city council public hearing for a proposed ordinance in a few years.
“How would it be enforced?” asked Dan Rossi, who owns Financial Educators Investment Corp. at 147 W. Federal St. “If each individual owner is shoveling the sidewalks, do we throw it on the curb? Then it will block pedestrians. Do we need more legislation or do we need to form a co-op to plow all of Federal Street?”
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.
Socrates Kolitsos, president of the board of trustees of St. Nicholas Green Orthodox Church at 220 N. Walnut St., said the ordinance would place “an undue burden on a small church.”
He added: “Who’s going to get up before 7 a.m. to shovel snow that will continue to fall? How do you keep up with it? Also, Walnut Street has very little traffic. Why put something like this on us when we don’t have a 24-hour custodian?”
Jae S. Rim, owner of The Connection at 130 W. Federal St., said he opens his store at 10 a.m. and it would be difficult to get snow cleared at 7 a.m.
“This is bad,” he said. “It’s too much for us to endure.”
In a letter to city council, Phil Kidd, associate director for Youngstown CityScape and a downtown resident, wrote: “I’m not certain assessing a fine will, itself, resolve the snow-removal issue. The reason I don’t believe it will is because some areas of downtown will not be cleared due to ambiguity of location or the time deadline.”
Councilmen Nate Pinkard, D-3rd, and John R. Swierz, D-7th, attended the hearing. Afterward, the two said the proposal will go to council’s safety committee — Pinkard is chairman and Swierz is a member — and then have a few readings during council meetings so other members of the public can provide input. After that, it would be decided if any changes are needed before council considers it.
Swierz said the 7 a.m. deadline could be reconsidered.
Both said this matter could be better resolved by a downtown business association, but if a solution isn’t developed, the city will have to act.