With more than a fair share of snow this winter, the question on the minds of members of the Sag Harbor Village Board is how to keep the sidewalks in the village free of it. At its meeting this month, the board discussed the rules around snow removal and who, ultimately, would be responsible for it.
After a walloping 20.5 inches of snow this week in Sag Harbor, officials said it is more important than ever to follow the letter of the law when it comes to snow removal. The village currently requires all property owners with sidewalk frontage to remove their own snow.
There are six people on the public works crew responsible for plowing the whole village, Mayor Thomas Gardella said at a meeting on Feb. 10. At the time, the village was still digging its way out of a storm that hit in the final days of January. Freezing temperatures in the weeks following kept a healthy amount of ice and snow around, causing multiple complaints to police about impassable and dangerous sidewalks.
Snow removed from village-maintained streets is taken to Havens Beach. As for the rest of the snow that piles up on village sidewalks, property owners have to figure it out.
Mayor Gardella said all that could change. He and the board are considering charging residents for a plowing service run through the village — whether through the Department of Public Works or by subcontracting to local contractors. “Ideally we would do that and bill the homeowner,” the mayor said.
Anthony Vermandois, an architect and resident of the village, suggested giving property owners some time — he recommended 72 hours — to do the work themselves before the village steps in. He also recommended that the village take the position that the fee would not be a punishing fine, but instead a bill.
Of those in attendance at the meeting, most seemed to approve of the plan. Elizabeth Gilbert, who called herself a resident with an “unshoveled sidewalk” after the January storm, said shoveling is not safe, and maybe even impossible, for the elderly. The mayor agreed. Those with larger property frontage have also been impacted by the policy over the years, he added.
Plans are evolving and village officials will likely revisit the matter in the coming months. For now, officials have asked for continued cooperation in keeping sidewalks walkable.
