Sidewalks become dangerous when snow collects, packs down and turns to ice, leaving behind remnants for days due to cold temperatures and clouds.
Due to public safety concerns, The City of Laramie wants to remind city residents that sidewalks should be cleared by noon within one day after the end of a storm.
“Of course we have people that want us to stay out of the issue of shoveling and we’ve got residents that want the city to tighten up on areas that are a safety concern,” City of Laramie Code Enforcement Inspector Brian Forster said. “This is really about helping keep people safe.”
Laramie presents a unique situation with its weather as well as its mixed population of homeowners, renters and a large pedestrian population.
“We know there’s a lot of out-of-towners who don’t really know about caring for the sidewalks, we know there’s a lot of renters and landlords out there who haven’t figured out an agreement to shovel snow or you’ve got renters who don’t realize that’s already in their lease,” Forster said. “We really want this to be about promoting a neighborly culture and some healthy civic duty than anything else.”
Shoveling the snow before the sidewalks are walked on or the snow starts melting is how you get the job done quickly and efficiently. The longer a sidewalk goes untouched, the tougher it gets to clear.
“Shoveling our sidewalk, taking care of the grounds is part of our lease agreement,” a UW student said. “I figured I better loosen it up and wail on it with this rake if it was going to get done.”
Other residents may also be wailing because now there is a fee if the City of Laramie has to arrange to have your walk cleaned.
“Our old ordinance didn’t really allow for any enforcement,” Forster said. “This new agreement allows us to step in and prevent any dangerous situations for pedestrians or emergency responders.”
Forster said that if most people approached this issue as a matter of being a good neighbor and a bit of civic duty we might all profit from stronger community networks.
“On 9th and Ivinson we pride ourselves on being one of the first corners of campus with clean sidewalks after a storm and we have for almost 15 years as far as I know,” Resident Building Foreman Richard Covell said. “I don’t understand why we need rules and regulations like this except that some people are lazy.”
The call for a sense of community and shared responsibility is what binds all parties together in the end. From each end of this issue, the overriding concern is not to harass people as if they must do their chores “or else.” The overriding sense of care for one’s neighbor and for our emergency responders is what should inspire us to take care of our surroundings.
