To the Editor:
It seems the Town has recklessly made the decision not to fulfill its obligation to remove snow and ice from all sidewalks as the ordinance dictates as less than half of the sidewalks were cleared. Tiger Mann acknowledged he did his best within financial and personnel constraints. The Town’s insufficient maintenance is indicative of the First Selectman’s willingness to change the ordinance to allow Town to shirk its obligation while it installs miles of sidewalks. An ordinance change would cause irreparable reputational damage for the Town.
I question why Town would continue to install more sidewalks while placing Town at risk. On April 2, 2024, the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to enter into a contract which entails the installation of new concrete sidewalks, granite curbing and a parking pull-off along Old Stamford Road from Park Street to the Bristow Bird Sanctuary with a $217,984.00 total project cost. In addition, if connecting Town parks with a “greenlink system” is the goal, Town should fund sidewalk maintenance, including snow/ice removal.
Town is proposing maintaining liability and snow/ice removal to select streets. This enables special treatment such as residents rejecting traffic study recommended safety measures in front of their home on a sharp unlit curve which has been the location of cars driving off the road and others having an intrusive flashing solar paneled speed sign permanently installed in front of their home. This scenario seems to me to be a divide and conquer tactic since only affected parties will be vocal in their opposition. Also, the liability and financial burden would be pushed on an increasingly smaller subset of homeowners as opposed to all taxpayers.
While the First Selectman said my property value would increase with the installation of a public sidewalk abutting my house, I believe my home will become less favorable to homebuyers while residents with direct access to the sidewalk without any liability or high costs will benefit.
The suggestion during the first Bylaws & Ordinances Committee meeting that homeowners should rely on their “umbrella policy” for liability coverage for a public sidewalk demonstrates a need for both the Town and homeowner to study the insurance/insurability implications.
Inaction to clear all sidewalks of snow/ice and a lack of clarification of its responsibility by the Town has misled some to unjustly accept blame and responsibility. Residents were wrongfully “shamed” on social media for not having properly cleared the sidewalk. Other residents expressed dissatisfaction through a Letter to the Editor and comments (not here) including an inaccurate “gentle reminder” that it was the homeowner’s responsibility, “If not as a courtesy then as a way to protect yourself from a potential lawsuit due to a slip and fall.”
New Canaan is not the “only” town which accepts liability, snow/ice removal responsibilities. Weston, CT; Burlington, Vermont and New Hampshire do.
It should be noted that while I was told to check the Town’s government calendar for the second Bylaws & Ordinances meeting, having expressed concern for a lack of transparency on this topic, this meeting notice was provided on Friday, June 28th for a Monday, July 1st meeting during the 4th of July holiday week, furthering my position. (June’s Town Council meeting shared the date of the meeting but posted it on the calendar over two weeks later.)
The full Town Council will apparently discuss the ordinance change at its July 17th meeting, the result of confusing successive votes by the Bylaws & Ordinances Committee on July 1st. Additionally, Town Council should have the 2024 POCD draft and sidewalks are a significant topic. The agenda has not yet been posted.
Teresa Piontkowski
