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Footprints in the Snow

Tuesday, 11 February 2014 at 05:30

Snowy sidewalks a fimiliar scene this winter in Woodstock.

When it comes to sidewalk clearing, the City of Woodstock is down to its last legs.

If you've felt city sidewalks weren't getting cleared as fast as they should have been lately, there's a good explanation for that.

City Engineer Harold de Haan says of the city's four machines, only one has been working properly. de Haan told Heart FM the city is working hard to get the repairs complete so they can get back to clearing sidewalks. "The problem with having machinery run pretty much nonstop this winter, that's what happens, it starts breaking down."

He didn't know off hand what the repairs were going to cost the city.

de Haan says while pedestrians should not be walking on busy roadways, there is no bylaw requiring homeowners to clean sidewalks in Woodstock.  "The city likes to encourage a good neighbour policy meaning that we appreciate and encourage people to clean the sidewalk in front of their residence and the city in response likes to do the same. We like to clean our sidewalks first and then move on to other areas that are high pedestrian areas or high need areas or other back lauded areas, that type of thing."

de Haan says the only current sidewalk bylaw pertains to the downtown area for stores and businesses.

de Haan says there are pros and cons to creating a sidewalk maintenance bylaw for the entire city.

"I personally feel we are not quite there. Unless council decides it would like to instruct staff differently, I think we are a friendly enough and small enough city that the current method, you know it's not perfect, but it works."

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