quote:

Originally posted by jombl:
Hell, just an ordinance with no penalty should create enough peer pressure as to our societal norms to turn around this race to the bottom.

I agree with this. Just look at the watering ordinance and the "bringing in of the trash can" ordinance. There's no one REALLY stopping you from watering every day, watering on the wrong days or leaving the can out until Tuesday, but people don't because the neighbors might notice.

The wife and I found this thread interesting. We had no idea that unshoveled walks near schools was such a threat to the safety of the children in cold weather states. Where does unshoveled walks fall on the list of most dangerous things that children are confronting these days? How does it compare to drug abuse, or pre-teen sex, or child abduction, parental abuse or the likes? I know, "we do not have any children, so how would you know," but we do have 15, (soon to be 17) nieces and nephews but their parents never mentioned this or even heard of this danger. We couldn't even think of a time we ever heard of a child death or injury due to an unshoveled walk near a school? Not being sacastic here, just shocked we have never heard of this danger before.

At the meeting, they mentioned a boy who fell on his face which resulted in a bloody nose and 3 others that fell that morning as well. I don't think these are deadly falls, but they did give another example of a girl who fell one day and was afraid to go back on the ice so she would run into the street, where you are not allowed to, in order to avoid that area.

I do wish people would take responsibility and shovel their area as well. My kids love to be outside- all the time. We have already been on bike rides, wagon rides and walks around our area. We can't go much more than a half a block at a time before they are forced to either cross the street or walk in the street to avoid the mountains of snow still out there. Even this morning they still exist.

We also have a lot of homes for sale on our street, some that are empty. Two empty ones by builders and one by home owners. How would an ordinance address them? Or the big triangles of land the Village owns around town mixed in with the residents?

How about if we charge a SSA tax to homes within a certain distance of schools, or on certain paths, and that money goes towards hiring a service?

Or we could pickit in front of their homes.

quote:

Originally posted by jombl:
Hell, just an ordinance with no penalty should create enough peer pressure as to our societal norms to turn around this race to the bottom.

I strongly disagree, and have little desire for additional legislation without penalties and provisions for enforcement.

See how well our penalty-free building code is at getting developers to comply and respect neighbors.

And Fan - I'm certainly not going to apologize for structuring my job and schedule as I do. Of course, if I need to shovel in the morning, I will gladly take a later train if need be. As well as shovelling the night before. And, in my experience even tho some portion of the walk gets trodden down throughout the day, if you make an effort in the evening you are able to clear a good portion of the walk.

Many of the folk I complain about never raise a shovel to make any attempt.

quote:

just shocked we have never heard of this danger before.

more of an inconvenience, oh and add a house near Ben Franklin that never shoveled in the 6 years my child attended school. That reminds me a previous neighbor that never once picked up a shovel, nor had their 3 teenagers clear their walk/driveway.

quote:

Originally posted by Dinsdale:


And Fan - I'm certainly not going to apologize for structuring my job and schedule as I do. Of course, if I need to shovel in the morning, I will gladly take a later train if need be. As well as shovelling the night before. And, in my experience even tho some portion of the walk gets trodden down throughout the day, if you make an effort in the evening you are able to clear a good portion of the walk.

I would never expect you to and would never suggest that you should. I'm just saying, kind of like I was saying about Spitzer, it is unfair to generalize about people's work patterns, sloth, availability and I guess because it is relevant, love life, because you don't really know what is going on inside of each person's home.

Some may have very very good reasons why their sidewalk is not shoveled...reasons that most neighbors don't care to know and certainly don't care to get involved in.

In my case, whenever my sidewalk wasn't shoveled, I may or may not have had a good reason. Most likely not. However, on a going forward basis, blame Herbold and contact his attorney, RonKas.

I just blame Buchholz. It's Lent. He should bring his shovel and snowblower to everyone he knows.

quote:

Originally posted by JustAResident:

Or we could pickit in front of their homes.

After what I've been seeing lately in this town...I wouldn't be shocked to see a picketing.

People seem very angry around here, don't they?

* Back to my positive chi breathing. *

quote:

Originally posted by Buggy24:

quote:

just shocked we have never heard of this danger before.

more of an inconvenience, oh and add a house near Ben Franklin that never shoveled in the 6 years my child attended school. That reminds me a previous neighbor that never once picked up a shovel, nor had their 3 teenagers clear their walk/driveway.

UM.... How close to Ben Franklin?
Just a question.

That's you!!

I was out of town. It only happened once. I didn't want to been seen as collecting political favors when you and Fan offered to do it so luckily another elected official did it. We can fix that you know.

quote:

Originally posted by GE Fan:

* Back to my positive chi breathing. *

Did you make one of those backyard videos again? What have I gotten into!

Fan Breathing

"UM.... How close to Ben Franklin?"

not east.

quote:

Originally posted by Rob Herbold:

quote:

Originally posted by GE Fan:

* Back to my positive chi breathing. *

Did you make one of those backyard videos again? What have I gotten into!

Fan Breathing

I pictured something more like this...

Fan breathing II

quote:

Originally posted by Buggy24:
"UM.... How close to Ben Franklin?"

not east.

Whew!

The sidewalks were solid sheets of ice at Hadley and very dangerous. My son does walk to school unless it's super cold or the wind chill is low (teens or lower). So, there were definitely days he walked and slid past those houses. I did see one elderly gentleman trying to clear his walk but I suspect he was unable to keep up with the pace of the heaviest snowstorm and then it got packed down before he could clear it. Poor guy. I did feel for him. But I doubt everyone in those few houses is that elderly and I certainly shovel my neighbor's walks once I've gotten the snowblower out and if they haven't gotten out yet. They have done the same in return on occaision. In both cases, this usually leads to gifts of wine to the person who did the work. Works out quite nicely. That said, when I lived on a college campus, the entire campus was cleared by the university - even some of the privately owned property that was nestled within the campus. The village should take care of the main thoroughfares and the walk by Hadley is one of those. With about 1,200 kids in that school, I'd say Hawthorne is a major thoroughfare.

Amy - If the elderly man was in about the middle of those house, he is a WWII vet with some very exciting and interesting stories. I would not be surprised to hear he was out there, and shame on the neighbors who weren't making an extra effort.

Yes, shame on all the neighbors who didn't shovel their sidewalks this winter.

No, we will not clean the central business district. Either I am losing my touch...or I am speaking to the wrong person.

quote:

Originally posted by GE Fan:
Yes, shame on all the neighbors who didn't shovel their sidewalks this winter.

I do think the schools should bear some responsibility especially when it has snowed during the day, but if my elderly neighbor is making an effort to clear the sidewalk, it would certainly cause me to try to make more of an effort to do the same. I would have been shamed into trying harder, instead of taking the path of least resistance - which would not be in front of these houses near the school, btw.