Crown Point mayor: Shovel your snow
With snow again expected Tuesday night and Wednesday morning in Northwest Indiana, the latest plea from Crown Point officials is taking on a bit more urgency.
Complaints about impassable snow- covered sidewalks have city officials calling for a little cooperation from residents, especially those near schools.
Resident Mark Myers told the Crown Point City Council on Monday that his daughter, a sixthgrader at Wheeler Middle School, must walk to school in the street because some homeowners with property near the school have not cleared their sidewalks.
“You know it’s bad when the snow is up to the mailman’s knees. These are little kids,” Myers said after the meeting. He added his daughter has fallen on the street trying to navigate the snow mounds and he is concerned for her safety and that of other children who must walk to school.
He asked officials to consider an ordinance requiring homeowners to clear the walks and imposing fines if they don’t.
Mayor David Uran said getting residents to shovel their sidewalks is more of a community awareness issue than a legal one and he urged residents to clear a path on the sidewalks in front of their homes for schoolchildren and postal workers.
Uran said this year is unusual because there have been so many storms with heavy accumulation and little chance for melting in between.
The forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday called for accumulation of 2 to 4 inches, but possibly more depending on the exact location and the wild card of lake effect snow. That should keep the plows — and shovelers — busy.
In Gary, to help city snowplows, the city urged residents to park on the west or north side of the street. The city’s snow plan calls for clearing main streets within the first 24 hours, and side streets and alleys within 48 to 72 hours.
In Crown Point, Uran said the city is responsible for streets and public lots and has been doing its part to keep those roadways and areas clear, but with more snow on the way, residents need to cooperate and do their part as well.
He asked residents to help their neighbors who may be unable to shovel or who can’t afford to pay someone to do it.
“If everyone partners up to do their part maybe we can get them clean,” he said.