To The Editor,
The New Canaan Town Council Bylaws & Ordinances Committee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, June 5th (Town Hall, Conference Room B) at 7pm to consider “whether the Town Council should revise Ordinance Section 54-48 to require property owners in residential zones to remove snow and ice from public sidewalks abutting their property”.
I am a 34-year resident/taxpayer in Town affected by a proposed (P & Z supported, ARPA funded) sidewalk on Route 106/Old Stamford Road between Bristow Bird Sanctuary and Gower Road (on a yet to be determined side of the road). I understand it is highly likely the Town will push the liability and financial burden of public sidewalk snow/ice removal, leaf/debris removal and salting on residential homeowners with abutting public sidewalks because of a desire to increase walkability/sidewalks and the high cost to maintain them. The current ordinance requires the Town to accept liability and maintenance responsibility.
Town may change a fundamental premise on which the sidewalks (Main Street 2012) were installed. The ordinance (effective 10-3-2008) states, “The Town shall be responsible for snow removal from public sidewalks abutting single-family or two-family residential uses in the business zones, as well as from public sidewalks in the residential zone.” The Plan of Conservation & Development 2014 states the ordinance, “…removed some concerns about sidewalks to other areas and enhances the ability of the Town to extend sidewalks where desired.” (POCD 2014, page 71)
If the Town views sidewalks as a priority, it should allocate sufficient funds for liability and maintenance of them. It is inequitable to place this new time, labor and financial burden on a subset of homeowners with comparatively smaller lot size, as well as potentially impose fines on residents failing to properly/timely remove snow and ice from a public sidewalk. Additionally, Town can just as easily revise the ordinance to place the financial costs and liability of general sidewalk maintenance and repair on the homeowner abutting a public sidewalk.
I am opposed to any Ordinance Section 54-48 revision that would allow Town to shirk public sidewalk liability and maintenance responsibilities and disheartened by the lack of transparency in their consideration of this revision without broad public dialogue.
Teresa Piontkowski
